Ben McAdoo Was Not a Baker Believer in 2018
It's not every day that you see two quarterbacks who were selected in the top five of the draft play on the same team. What's even more rare is to see two quarterbacks who were drafted in the top three of the same year become teammates before their respective rookie deals expired.
With yesterday's trade to acquire Baker Mayfield, the Panthers are now home to the first and third overall picks from the 2018 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, both Mayfield and Darnold have not lived up to expectations although Mayfield has shown to be a solid starting quarterback.
When these two were coming out of college, Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was the head coach of the New York Giants. He wasn't particularly high on either Mayfield or Darnold. In fact, he had Mayfield as the 6th-best quarterback in the draft class.
McAdoo's 2018 QB rankings
1. Josh Allen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Josh Rosen
5. Mason Rudolph
6. Baker Mayfield
In separate articles by the New York Times four years ago, McAdoo addressed his concerns with each of the quarterbacks that he will now be working with in 2022.
Analysis of Baker Mayfield
“He’s got an edge to him, I like that. He’s gonna lead, they’re gonna follow him,’’ McAdoo said in 2018. “I didn’t see a lot of pro-style football in his college tape. 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.”
Analysis of Sam Darnold
“I think the kid the Jets drafted has a lot of magic in his game,’’ McAdoo said. “I think he’s special. He’s obviously a talented guy, he can make plays with his feet. I’d just have a hard time drafting a guy in the first round where you don’t necessarily like the way he throws.
“He can overcome it, guys have, but that’s something that’s a challenge for me. I’m gonna be looking at that, trying to fix it, because it’s a fundamental flaw, and I believe in the fundamentals. The quarterback, his No. 1 job is to pass the football. If I don’t like the way he throws the ball, I have a hard time picking him, right?’’
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