Under Lincoln Riley, the Oklahoma Sooners have become quite the offensive juggernaut. The level of production he’s gotten out of his offenses has been something to marvel at. His quarterbacks, in particular, have helped spur a movement of offensive skill players to the Sooners through both the transfer portal and via traditional recruiting.
The success on Saturdays has carried over to Sundays, and the more success Oklahoma’s Sooners in the NFL have, the more it will speak to recruits making their decisions on where to play college football.
As the NFL season is about to start, the NFL Network is working through its annual list of the Top 100 players in the NFL. The Oklahoma Sooners had three players make the list heading into 2021; let’s take a look.
71. Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns
The last we saw of Mayfield, he was nearly leading the Browns to a huge playoff upset of the Chiefs after playing the best ball of his pro career during the second half of 2020. He’s closed out all three of his seasons on a high note. He’s also gotten off to slow starts each year. Perhaps all the turnover at head coach and offensive coordinator were the primary cause. Will stability on the sideline manifest into consistency on the playing field? Cleveland needs more from its QB in order to fulfill Super Bowl aspirations. Mayfield’s past suggests he’s up for the challenge. – Adam Maya, NFL.com
Baker Mayfield’s shown a ton of growth since entering the league. After a strong rookie season, he and the Browns struggled a bit in his second year in the NFL. Last season, under new head coach and play-caller Kevin Stefanski, Mayfield had the best season of his career thus far.
After 14 interceptions in his rookie season and 21 in year two, Mayfield cut his interceptions to eight in 2020. A dramatic decrease while posting the highest QBR of his career.
Mayfield and the Browns won their first playoff game in 26 years, and the Browns are one of the teams to watch in the AFC heading into 2021.
A former Sooners offensive lineman ranks in the top 50.