Baker Mayfield surprised fans on Monday when he announced he would not be attending the 2018 NFL Draft in Arlington, TX this year.
Baker Mayfield told me he will NOT be coming to Arlington’s AT&T Stadium for the @NFL draft in April. @daveyobrien #OU pic.twitter.com/SLFR6daRyX
— Newy Scruggs (@newyscruggs) February 20, 2018
“Gotta be with my family down in Austin,” he told Newy Scruggs of NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. “Have them there, some teammates, some former coaches, just the people that helped me get there, helped me along the way, supported me, [and] helped me through the ups and downs.”
There’s been a lot of speculation around the probable first round draft pick’s decision to stay behind. On the one hand, the 2018 Draft is being held at AT&T Stadium, the former Dallas Cowboys stomping grounds. It’s presumably going to be filled with people who hate Oklahoma, Mayfield’s alma mater. But Baker Mayfield is used to controversy and that’s probably not enough to keep him away.
His real reason for staying behind is probably related to a deal that’s already been done or close to done. Plenty of teams have expressed interest in Mayfield but the Miami Herald reported that the Dolphins have spent ample time with the QB and might try to sway him to hold out for their 11th round pick.
The Dolphins met privately with Mayfield during the Senior Bowl in January and have reportedly planned to have dinner with him in March – right before Oklahoma’s Pro Day on March 14.
Mayfield’s not exactly being coy about his interest in the team either. During an Instagram Live post in January he commented in the feed, “#GetMeToMiami.”
Kenny Stills is live on Instagram. And Baker Mayfield is letting people know where he wants to be drafted. #miami #dolphins pic.twitter.com/iyUvpXg5Yo
— Simon Clancy (@SiClancy) January 18, 2018
And while Miami already has quarterback Ryan Tannehill on their roster, he was out this season with a torn ACL. It’s also pretty hard to pass up a first round draft pick and Heisman winner.
We probably won’t know for certain until April but – if Baker stays true to himself – he’ll give plenty of material for people to chew on in the coming weeks.
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