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Anyone who’s followed the never-ending saga of Johnny Manziel knows how things worked out the last time an NFL team drafted a controversially provocative quarterback with a bit of a drinking problem. Thanks to his behavior both on and off the field, Heisman Award-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield has had to deal with constant comparisons to the former Cleveland Brown, and he’s hoping that it won’t have any impact on his draft stock.
Most analysts are saying Mayfield is an early-to-mid first round pick, and the former Oklahoma Sooner did what he could to box out the likes of fellow QBs like Sam Darnold and The Two Joshes (Allen and Rosen) at his Pro Day on Wednesday, where his headband got the majority of the attention. I’m sure Mayfield went into the draft process knowing he’d be under a great deal of scrutiny, but I doubt he thought “being trailed by a private investigator” was part of the deal.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, an unnamed NFL team hired a PI to follow Mayfield around Norman before he headed to the University of Oklahoma’s campus to show off his skills:
Later on Tuesday, Mayfield received an alert from a trusted source that he had a tail in Norman. A private investigator, he was told, was tracking his movements on behalf of a team. The MMQB was unable to verify the identity of that team, but it should come as no surprise that any NFL franchise considering a (minimum) four-year commitment and tens of millions of dollars to a 22-year-old might like to know how he spends nights near his old stomping grounds.
I can’t think of a healthier way to kick off a relationship.