Reigning Heisman quarterback Baker Mayfield will not be in attendance at the 2018 NFL Draft, per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints.
Baker Mayfield is not among the 22 players expected to attend the NFL Draft on April 27. Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen will all be in attendance. #NFLDraft
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardNFL) April 6, 2018
Despite the former Oklahoma QB being widely tipped to go within the first 10 picks, he has opted instead to watch the draft in his home in Texas as opposed to being in attendance at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Mayfield is considered to be among the top four quarterback prospects in this draft class along with Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen, who will be in attendance. One scout recently said Mayfield was the “most accurate signal-caller” he’d ever evaluated.
Mayfield will be in high demand given the amount of teams looking for a quarterback. While Darnold and Allen are being pegged as the likely first two quarterbacks off the board, Mayfield should still be in play for the Jets (No. 3) or Denver Broncos (No. 5). He could even be a target for the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, who are currently picking outside the top 10 but could still move up to get him.
Mayfield said he was being pressured by some unspecified people to attend the draft in person, but he did not cave to that pressure.
Obviously, the draft is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and going up on stage to shake the commissioner’s hand would be a dream come true for many players. However, that doesn’t appear to be that big a deal for Mayfield, who wants to enjoy the experience from the comfort of his own home.
Mayfield has every right to make that choice, and given his headstrong nature, he wasn’t going to be forced into doing something he didn’t want to do.
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