It feels like a lifetime ago that the Cleveland Browns were the punchline of every single joke in professional football. If you were following the league back then, you remember the "Jersey of Infamy"—that long, sad list of quarterback names taped to the back of a brown and orange uniform. It just kept growing. Honestly, the franchise was desperate. They needed a savior, or at least someone with enough ego to believe they could be one.
Then came the spring of 2018.
If you are looking for the quick answer to what year was Baker Mayfield drafted, it was 2018. But just knowing the year doesn't really tell the whole story. That draft wasn't just another weekend in April; it was a total gamble that changed the trajectory of three or four different franchises and arguably the way NFL scouts look at "undersized" players today.
The Night the Browns Gambled Everything
On April 26, 2018, the NFL Draft kicked off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The air was thick with rumors. For months, the consensus was that the Browns would take Sam Darnold out of USC. He was the "prototypical" guy—tall, big arm, looked like he was cast by a Hollywood studio to play a quarterback.
But John Dorsey, the Browns' GM at the time, had other plans.
When Commissioner Roger Goodell walked up to the podium and announced Baker Mayfield's name as the first overall pick, the collective gasp in the room was audible. People were stunned. This was a kid who was a walk-on. Not once, but twice. First at Texas Tech, then at Oklahoma. He wasn’t even 6-foot-1. In the old-school NFL world, drafting a "short" quarterback at number one was considered career suicide for a general manager.
Mayfield didn’t care.
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He didn't even show up to the draft in person. He stayed home in Austin, Texas, with his family. When the call came, he was basically just ready to get to work. He was coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season where he’d put up video game numbers, but the "maturity" questions followed him like a shadow. Remember the flag-planting incident at Ohio State? Or the sideline antics against Kansas? Scouts were terrified he was another Johnny Manziel.
Why 2018 Was a Weird Year for Quarterbacks
Looking back, the 2018 class was absolutely stacked with talent, even if nobody knew exactly how it would shake out. It’s wild to think about the names that went after Baker.
You had:
- Saquon Barkley at No. 2 (Giants)
- Sam Darnold at No. 3 (Jets)
- Josh Allen at No. 7 (Bills)
- Josh Rosen at No. 10 (Cardinals)
- Lamar Jackson at No. 32 (Ravens)
Imagine being the guy picked before Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. That’s a lot of pressure to carry. Mayfield had to deal with that comparison every single Sunday. While Allen was struggling with accuracy in Buffalo and Lamar was being told he should switch to wide receiver, Baker was busy trying to break the "Browns Curse."
And for a minute there, he actually did it.
His rookie year was electric. He didn't even start the season; he was sitting behind Tyrod Taylor. But in Week 3 against the New York Jets, Taylor went down with a concussion. Baker came in, trailing 14-0, and led a comeback win that ended Cleveland’s 19-game winless streak. People were literally crying in the stands. He finished that year with 27 touchdown passes, which was a rookie record at the time.
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The Reality of the "First Overall" Tag
Being drafted in 2018 meant Baker was the face of the "New Browns." But as we’ve seen in the years since, the NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" business.
His tenure in Cleveland was a rollercoaster. High highs, like the 2020 playoff win over the Steelers, and low lows, like the shoulder injury in 2021 that eventually led to the team trading for Deshaun Watson. It’s kinda crazy to think that the guy who finally brought playoff success to Cleveland was cast aside just a few years later.
Since that 2018 draft day, Mayfield has become a bit of a journeyman, though a successful one. He went from the Panthers to the Rams, and finally found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. By 2024 and 2025, he wasn't just a "bridge" quarterback anymore; he was putting up career-high numbers and leading the Bucs to division titles.
It turns out the "moxie" everyone was afraid of in 2018 was exactly what he needed to survive the chaos of his mid-career.
What Most People Forget About That Draft
Everyone talks about the height. "He’s too short!" "He can't see over the line!"
Actually, the real concern back in 2018 was the "Air Raid" system he played in at Oklahoma. Critics said he only threw to wide-open receivers and wouldn't be able to handle a pro-style offense. They were wrong. His accuracy was—and still is—legit.
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The 2018 draft also marked a shift in how teams valued personality. Mayfield was the first of the "Social Media Era" No. 1 picks who really leaned into it. He was unapologetic. He wore the headband. He spoke his mind. He was a polarizing figure from the second his name was called.
If you’re tracking his stats today, it’s easy to see why he went first. As of early 2026, he’s thrown for over 28,000 yards and nearly 200 touchdowns. For a guy that "wasn't supposed to make it," that's a pretty decent resume.
Final Takeaways on Baker’s Draft Year
If you're settling a bet or just brushing up on your NFL trivia, keep these points in mind about Baker's entry into the league:
- The Year: 2018.
- The Pick: 1st Overall.
- The Team: Cleveland Browns.
- The College: University of Oklahoma (Heisman winner).
- The Contract: He signed a four-year deal worth about $32.6 million, all guaranteed.
What really matters about the year Baker Mayfield was drafted is that it proved you don't have to be a 6-foot-5 "statue" in the pocket to go No. 1. He paved the way for guys like Kyler Murray and Bryce Young. He showed that if you have the arm and the "dawg" in you, the height doesn't matter nearly as much as the old scouts thought.
If you want to dive deeper into how that 2018 class compares to other legendary QB years, you should check out the career arcs of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Their success has retroactively made the 2018 draft one of the most significant in the last twenty years. It’s also worth looking at the current Buccaneers roster to see how they’ve built around Baker’s specific strengths to keep his career alive well into his 30s.