Denver Broncos: 5 Players to watch at 2018 Senior Bowl

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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after Steven Parker #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners scores a 46 yard touchdown because of a fumble by Sony Michel #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

5. Baker Mayfield, QB – Oklahoma

Baker Mayfield is the talk of the town here in Mobile. His every move is currently being evaluated under a microscope in Senior Bowl practices. Everyone wants to see what Mayfield can do and the Senior Bowl will be our last opportunity to view him before the NFL Scouting Combine.

Last season, he passed for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns while completing 70.5 percent of his passes. His best game of the season came against Oklahoma State in week ten when he passed for 598 yards and five touchdowns. He led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff where the Sooners lost in the first-round to the Georgia Bulldogs, 54-48. He was named the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner, making him the first Sooner to win the Heisman Trophy since 2008 when Sam Bradford won the award.

There are a lot of positive qualities that Mayfield has that can help the Broncos’ offense. He does a very good job at maneuvering through the pocket and extending time to find his receivers. He’s an accurate passer and he has the touch to place the football into tight windows. when scrambling out of the pocket to extend the play, he will continuously scan the field to find the wide-open man. He has great field awareness which allows him to easily go through is progressions.

Mayfield is best known for his on-the-field antics which has caused many people to doubt his maturity. He will need to prove to the coaching staff in interviews that he’s mature enough to be a starting quarterback at the NFL level.

I’m not worried about his maturity. I think the negative stigma that surrounds him is overblown. If anything, I think he’s more competitive than immature. I wouldn’t recommend his antics, but I believe his maturity will age like a fine wine and he will eventually develop into the prototypical professional you would expect at the quarterback position.

So far, at Mobile, he has handled all of the interviews and “press conferees” in the appropriate manor. He has behaved himself on the practice field. Not only is he “walking the fine line”, but he’s playing really well by connecting with his receivers and showing leadership on the practice field. Mayfield might be the “guy” for the Broncos.

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