Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is among the many who were shocked to see former Duke Blue Devils QB Daniel Jones selected sixth overall by the New York Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft. GQ Magazine recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Mayfield that included his opinion about the Jones pick, as well as his own rise to superstardom and the draft process.
According to GQ's Clay Skipper, Mayfield shared his unfiltered thoughts about Jones after a SportsCenter segment about the Giants' rookie aired near the booth where they were chatting.
“I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones,” Mayfield said about the Giants' sixth overall selection. “Blows my mind.”
“Some people overthink it,” Mayfield continued. “That's where people go wrong. They forget you've gotta win.”
“Either you have a history of winning and being that guy for your team,” he says, “or you don't.”
Of course, Mayfield isn't the first person to criticize the Giants' selection and he surely won't be the last. During his three years at Duke, Jones was 17-19 as a starter, and many believed he could've easily been had with New York's No. 17 overall pick. Meanwhile, former Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins, who was 13-1 in his lone season as a starter, went to the division rival Washington Redskins at pick No. 15.
It remains to be seen if either of those rookies will get a chance to prove themselves in Year 1, but we know that the Browns are expecting big things from Baker and their revamped offense this season. Cleveland will kickoff the 2019 campaign with a home game against the Tennessee Titans on September 8, followed by a Week 2 showdown against the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium on Monday night.