Baker Mayfield Getting to Grips with the Speed of NFL Football

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has opened up about adjusting to NFL football.

The No.1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft knows he can’t dominate games like he did in college. The speed of the game at the elite level is something that he’s going to have to get used to.

Baker Mayfield would have found the pace overwhelming when he first arrived to rookie minicamp in May.

He’s working hard on it. Although it will be some time before he feels as comfortable in games as he did in college.

“It’s starting to slow down, but it’s going to take a little bit to get to the level I was at Oklahoma,” Baker Mayfield said.

“That’s just part of the growing process. There’s been a lot of improvement since I first got here for rookie minicamp that it’s slowed down exponentially. I’m excited where it’s at right now.”

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The Cleveland Browns will face the New York Giants in their preseason opener on Thursday. Browns coach Hue Jackson said on Monday that the rookie quarterback will play “quite a bit” against the Giants.

“Any time I get the chance to play ball, I will be excited,” Mayfield said. “However much I play, I have to take advantage of the opportunity.”

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Getting to grips with the speed of NFL football will also allow Mayfield to improve other aspects of his game. One thing that his coaches have identified is his tendency to hang on to the ball for too long.

“I think that’s been a point of emphasis in the past few days for me,” Mayfield said.

“This game is a little different than Big 12 football. When you have points, you have to make sure you take advantage of that and secure those points. Down in the red zone, no sacks, no turnovers, no dumb penalties.”