Most overrated player on every NFL team in the 2022 season

Carolina Panthers: Baker Mayfield, QB

A former No. 1 overall pick, Baker Mayfield has all the tools to be a success in the NFL — and we have seen him play at a high level. As a rookie, he broke Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson’s record for most touchdown passes and was a huge reason the Browns turned from a laughing stock to the team that knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs in 2020.

While all this is true, there’s a crowd of fans that treat Mayfield as though he should be in the Hall of Fame. Those same fans acted as though Cleveland doomed themselves to another 20 years of mediocrity by trying to improve under center.

Those takes are the reason he comes in as the Carolina Panthers’ most overrated player in 2022. The same fans — often referred to as Baker Bros — are claiming he will be the reason the Panthers turn things around. But the sad truth is, this roster isn’t very good and Mayfield has yet to even be named the starter.

Throw in the fact that head coach Matt Rhule is on the hot seat and he’s more than likely one-and-done in Carolina and will be once again looking to play under a new coach in 2023.

Right on cue, his supporters will say he’s at his best when he’s doubted, and they will cite that he was a two-time walk-on in college. But this isn’t the NCAA, and he’s no longer an underdog. He was the first pick in 2018, meaning he came into the NFL expected to be a star. He has to learn to find motivation when he’s expected to deliver, not just when his back is against the wall if he wants to become a champion in the NFL.

Again, Mayfield has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL but some of the noise around him — including that from those overly zealous fans — do him absolutely no favors. A quiet season where he rehabs his injured shoulder and works on the fundamentals is what he needs to reach his potential.