With the top pick in the NFL Draft, that list may grow as the team will want to vet the player who will immediately become the face of the franchise.
In 2018, the Cleveland Browns did not do all of their homework, according to the college coach of their No. 1 overall pick, Baker Mayfield.
“The Rich Eisen Show” shared on Twitter USC head coach Lincoln Riley’s account of how the Browns interacted with him before the 2018 NFL Draft.
Or, in the former Oklahoma head coach’s words, didn’t.
.@LincolnRiley just told us that prior to the 2018 #NFLDraft the #Browns never talked to him about @bakermayfield before selecting him 1st overall.
🤯🤯🤯#NFL #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/gwta4jF6fA
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 25, 2024
Riley told Eisen that Cleveland did not talk to him before the NFL Draft, and the show’s Twitter account followed that information up with a mind-blown emoji.
In 2018, Cleveland picked the Heisman winner as the overall top draft pick.
Mayfield was in Cleveland for four years, throwing for 14,125 yards and 92 touchdowns in 60 games.
The quarterback finished with a 29-30 record as a starter for the Browns, making the playoffs in the 2020 season.
Mayfield found success in Tampa Bay this season, going 9-8 as a starter there and making the playoffs again.
Riley is once again the coach of a No. 1 overall pick after coaching Caleb Williams, both at Oklahoma and USC the past two seasons.
Ernie Horn is an award-winning writer, covering multiple sports at every level for over a quarter-century.
