Baker Mayfield top 10 QB: When analytics match the eye-test

Pro Football Focus released its quarterback rankings earlier in the week, and Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield found himself sitting at No. 10 of the 32 ranked candidates.

Soak it in, Cleveland. A top-10 NFL quarterback lives in the Dawg Pound.

Mayfield was relegated to the third tier of NFL quarterbacks before the start of the 2020 season, which isn’t a surprise. He was awful under Freddie Kitchens and the rating reflected his play.

As I got to thinking about the current rankings, I thought about PFF, known by some as the “Analytics Bible” and Mayfield’s standing.

Here’s who is ahead of the 2018 first-round pick: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson and Matt Ryan.

The five quarterbacks listed after Mayfield: Matthew Stafford, Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Justin Herbert.

Rounding out the AFC North, Big Ben is 16th, while Joey Burrow is 18th.

Baker Mayfield in the right spot

Could Mayfield have rated in the top eight or nine? Sure, but it’s arguable. Really, the point is PFF got it right. He’s not Patrick Mahomes and he’s definitely not 32nd ranked Drew Lock.

The numbers tell the story and what Browns fans saw on the field tell us the numbers aren’t tricking us.

The 2020 season saw Mayfield get off to a slow start, but once he and new head coach Kevin Stefanski found a comfort level, Mayfield went on to become the second-highest graded QB from Week 7 though the playoffs.

PFF noted how Mayfield also ranked in the top five in the following categories: Throwing from a clean pocket; standard drop backs and early downs. The website stated these categories “are important and stable metrics.”

Mayfield going into his fourth year and the expectations will continue to mount, but Browns fans should hold the belief that he will meet what’s asked of him and climb these rankings even further when PFF releases its 2022 list.