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It appears that the Cleveland Browns had every intention of picking Sam Darnold until they spoke with Baker Mayfield at the combine. According Browns exec Alonzo Highsmith the team had Darnold number one overall on their board for nearly a year until Mayfield blew them away during their off-the-filed interviews.
Via CantonRep.com
Highsmith, who began his career in scouting alongside Dorsey in the late 1990s, told a little joke and then gave a serious answer.
“Here’s the honest to God’s truth,” he said. “From the start of this college football season to the end of the season, I had Darnold No. 1 and Baker No. 2, (Josh) Rosen No. 3, (Lamar) Jackson No. 4 and (Josh) Allen after that.
“On our way through everything, you couldn’t tell me Darnold wasn’t the best. I did all my evaluations of the season.
“Then comes the part where you meet them off the field. You watch their workouts. You watch everything. And Baker blew me away. Highly, highly intelligent. Highly competitive.
“And he had a trait that some of the good ones have. I call it efficacy. That includes the power to effect other people. I thought that of all the quarterbacks I watched, he stood out far and above the other guys. When he walked into a room, you knew he was there.”
It’s going to be awhile until we know if the Browns made the right move by taking Mayfield but as of now it looks like several teams had him #1 overall as well.