It may be June, but football is right around the corner. In the next few weeks, NFL teams will begin reporting to their respective training camps in preparation for the 2021 NFL Season.
It’s almost here.
As Summer rolls along, more and more lists will be released ranking the top players at each position in the NFL, and George Chahrouri from Pro Football Focus provided the world with his top-10 quarterbacks. This list takes into account the 2020 season and the body of work put in by the quarterback.
On Chahrouri’s list, prominently featured at number nine, is former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The top-10 QBs in the NFL, per @PFF_George
How would you rate his top 10? pic.twitter.com/oZv58pG229
— PFF (@PFF) June 29, 2021
Mayfield’s career in the NFL started strong during his rookie season before suffering a bit of a sophomore slump in 2019. He bounced back in 2020, leading the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
In 2020, Mayfield graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 10th best quarterback, surpassing players like Dak Prescott (played just five games), Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray.
Last season Mayfield posted a 95.9 passer rating and 72.2 QBR. In the Cleveland Browns wild card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns before falling to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs.
It was a strong overall season for Mayfield. That’s about where he should be on George Chahrouri’s list. An argument could be made for putting him ahead of Ryan Tannehill. However, Tannehill had a higher grade and a better passer rating than Mayfield did in 2020.
Mayfield and the Browns will look to build off of their success in Head Coach Kevin Stefanski’s first season with the team. His play-action, misdirection-based offense worked wonders for Baker Mayfield and the Browns passing attack.
With Odell Beckham Jr expected to be back and healthy alongside Jarvis Landry, Mayfield will have a chance to outperform the 2020 numbers that helped the Browns achieve more than they had in nearly 20 years.
[vertical-gallery id=27647]