Is Baker Mayfield Really the Next Johnny Manziel?
The answer to the headline is a ginormous no. Baker Mayfield's NFL success will depend on his skill and circumstance, not his character. If Baker Mayfield isn't good enough, then so be it. He will not flame out of the NFL like the former Cleveland Brown Johnny Manziel.
The similarities between Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield are as follows: They are both short and they have similar on-field personalities. That's where the similarities end. And as Bruce Feldman eloquently says: "Baker is short, Johnny was small."
Johnny Manziel cracked in his two years starting at Texas A&M. In his second season, he took all of his classes online because he couldn't handle the pressure of being on campus.
Manziel will be remembered as a dynamic play maker, but he never won anything. Baker Mayfield has three straight Big 12 Championships and is the only Texas Tech quarterback to have a winning record under Kliff Kingsbury. Not Patrick Mahomes. Not Davis Webb. Baker Mayfield.
I'm not arguing here that Mayfield will win Super Bowls and be in MVP discussions like Russell Wilson. But if he gets in the perfect situation, he could. The argument is that Baker Mayfield is a different football player, and man, than Johnny Manziel.
I'm really excited for Johnny Football to be Johnny Canada, though.
- MORE
Texas Tech Crowd Chants 'F--- You, Baker'
- BONUS
Texas Tech vs Okahoma
2016 Highlights