Yahoo Sports senior NFL writer Jori Epstein and NFL writer Frank Schwab discuss why they think teams need to be more patient when developing young, high-draft quarterback picks if they want to see more success down the line. Hear the full conversation on “Inside Coverage” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
I think we spend so much time going into the draft talking about the inexact science of scouting quarterbacks.
And we say, how do we know who the guy is going to be ready?
How do we know once he gets there?
But then we don’t necessarily talk about what happens in your 234 of these really high draft pick careers.
So Sam Darnell, top three pick.
What happened with him and the Jets and was he able to recover Baker Mayfield?
Number one?
I mean, we’ve seen a few different guys in this boat recently.
I think I’ve mentioned on this podcast before that when you talk to talent evaluators around in the league, whether it’s G MS personnel execs, I’ve talked to multiple in that category who have said they didn’t really stop thinking that Sam Arnold was capable.
Baker.
On the other hand, it’s a little bit of a lazy narrative to be like the Cleveland Browns didn’t give him the infrastructure to succeed because I think they did like they gave him a top five offensive line.
He had Odell Beckham junior, Jarvis, Landry David and Joe who was young but had that potential he had a top running back and yet he kind of was inconsistent.
It’s also just some maturity things both on and off the field.
Some of the decision making, some of the desire to take chances and take shots downfield that would have worked at the college level, but really don’t work in the NFL level.
There’s a lesson here obviously and it’s there, there should be patience with a lot of these guys, Baker Mayfield was not a zero with the Cleveland Browns.
He had some good, good stretches of play and they just gave up on him right away and for many of the reasons, joy just talked about and I get it, I understand, but just think of this, how much better off would that franchise be right now?
Had they just stuck it out with Baker?