NFL News: Panthers' OC wasn't a fan of Baker Mayfield

Well, the Baker Mayfield saga is over. The Cleveland Browns traded him to the Carolina Panthers, he agreed to restructure his contract, and he’s ready to get a fresh start somewhere people actually value him.

The Browns burned all bridges with him after blindsided him and tradedfor Deshaun Watson. Moreover, they may not have a starting QB by Week 1, as Watson could still face discipline by the NFL.

But even though that’s great news for Mayfield, he’s not entirely on the clear just yet. He’ll have to convince his new OC Ben McAdoo that he can lead this offense, and he wasn’t exactly high on him when he scouted the QB class of 2018.

NFL News: Panthers’ OC Wasn’t Impressed By Baker Mayfield During The Draft

“I didn’t see a lot of pro-style football in his college tape,” McAdoo told The New York Post. “And if you’re short you have to be able to make up for it some way, somehow, and personality doesn’t do that. I didn’t think he was a great athlete. This guy is kinda like a pocket quarterback that is short and with small hands, that’s what I worry about.”

Back then, McAdoo deemed Mayfield the sixth-best quarterback of that class. He had Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and even Mason Rudolph ahead of the former Sooner.

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Panthers Won’t Trade Sam Darnold Right Away

Also, it’s not like Matt Rhule will give Mayfield QB1 status right away. According to the latest reports, the Panthers don’t intend to trade Sam Darnold as of now, so they’ll compete for the starting spot:

“According to multiple reporters on the Panthers beat, Carolina has no intention of trading Darnold after adding Mayfield,” reported Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk. “That sets up a potential competition between Mayfield and Darnold to be the Panthers’ QB1 to open the season. But with Mayfield coming in on July 6, Darnold clearly isn’t seen as a long-term solution.”

“With the word getting put out by the Panthers that they have ‘nointention’ to trade Darnold, a team could potentially swoop in and present an offer Carolina can’t refuse. But there hasn’t been any chatter about a team being interested in Darnold to this point. Given his performance over his first four seasons, it’s understandable that he would not have much of a market,”Simmons added.

But then again, one can only assume that Mayfield should have no trouble beating Darnold for the job, even if he’s still not fully healthy. This is a make-or-break year for the former first-overall pick, so it’s time to see what he’s truly made of.