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He’s really plugged in, and he stated this with confidence.
Gil Brandt, who helps run the draft for the league, and is one of the most plugged in people with league matters I know, made it clear on Saturday who he thinks the Jets will pick.
“I think the guy they will take is the Oklahoma quarterback,” Brandt said, referring to Baker Mayfield.
Gil doesn’t just say things.
This isn’t mock draft stuff.
When Gil says stuff, it’s usually based on talking to his myriad sources around the league, not just throwing stuff against the wall.
The biggest question about Mayfield is about his height, just a tad over 6-0. Former NFL QB Troy Aikman thinks this is overblown.
“There was a time when you looked at a guy his size and said no way, this guy’s going to be a third-round pick,” Aikman said on Ed Werder’s podcast. “That’s changed with the success of Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. I don’t think height is the deterrent it once was.
“There’s so many measurables and things scouts look at with any player. Has this guy performed at a high level? He’s done that at Oklahoma, against good teams … NFL is not going to be too big for him.
“Baker Mayfield is the most productive guy in this group [and] a walk-on who won the Heisman, I don’t think that can be overstated enough.”
Mayfield is often compared to Brees.
They are both 6-0 quarterbacks with good accuracy and high completion percentages.
They also have something else in common. They are both from Austin, Texas.
Brees is a player that Mayfield models his game after.
“It’s between Drew Brees and Russell Wilson,’ Mayfield said. “Those are my guys. And people say it’s on height but, you know, you think about the accuracy that Brees has and just the leadership and also Russell taking a chance on himself from NC State to Wisconsin and also being a dual sport guy. I think those are two great guys to model my game after.”
I’m on the record saying the Jets should pick Mayfield, but only if their security chief Robert Mastroddi (pictured above with Christopher Johnson) checks off on his character.
One thing about NFL security executives like Mastroddi, former high-ranking official with the NYPD, they know a lot more about the background of guys than us. They can find things out with connections that we would have a hard time finding.
This man knows people, as they say.
Mastroddi clearly had something to do with Robby Anderson having the felony charges against him dropped.
So Mastroddi can snoop around and find out if Mayfield’s arrest in Arkansas last year (when he was tackled by police trying to run away in a drunken state) was an aberration, or he has problems, like with drinking.
In Bobby the Jets should trust.
If he says, “Mike Maccagnan, I think this guy is safe to pick” I’d pick him.
But if there are too many red flags, I’d stay away.
But based on how Gil Brandt was talking on Saturday, perhaps Bobby has already checked off on Mayfield’s character.
April 16, 2018
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