Oklahoma Sooners Football: Baker Mayfield graces cover of Sports Illustrated

Baker Mayfield is one of the most talked-about people in the world of sports during the lead-up to the 2018 NFL Draft, so it only makes sense for him to grace the once-iconic cover of Sports Illustrated. Notably absent during the shoot, however, is the former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback’s shirt. Drink it in, folks!

I have but one question: Is this a dad bod? There’s nothing wrong with a dad bod, as it is the bod that I currently aspire to rock. However, I feel like Baker straddles the line between dad bod and just a regular in-shape bod. I’m going to need a ruling from y’all.

In all seriousness, SI’s Robert Klemko’s profile of Mayfield is fantastic. Here are the highlights:

• Mayfield detailed his goal for the draft during a meeting with agent Jack Mills earlier this year: “Mayfield took the paper and in ink drew a line underneath the No. 5 selection, held by the Broncos. “I’m not going later than this,” he said.”
• Mayfield recalls his meeting with the LA Chargers earlier this year: “I didn’t look at their playbook as much as I should have… It could have gone a little bit better . . . but at the same time, I’m prioritizing which playbooks I’m going to learn. No offense to them, but I’ve got a lot on my plate.”
• Klemko reports on what motivates Mayfield: “Last fall, after the flag-planting and the crotch-grabbing, one media member tweeted out that Mayfield would be of no interest to an NFL team given that sort of behavior. The QB took a screenshot and stored it on his phone. He’d look at it when he worked out, friends say, for motivation. Then, in March, as it became clear that his would be one of the first names called at the draft in Dallas, he tracked down that media member’s phone number and sent him the screenshot. “Who’s this?” the recipient asked. “Someone who’s going to text you on April 26.”

Yep, Baker Mayfield has the kind of confidence that would make him a full-fledged celebrity in a market like New York, but he’s going to be on the tip of every football fan’s tongue no matter where he ends up.

What I love is that he’s still taking us on a fun ride months after the conclusion of his OU career, and that’ll continue for years to come. I’m a pretty huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, but I may have to reevaluate my hatred of the Broncos if he ends up in Denver. That’s how much I enjoy rooting for the guy from afar, and I think there are many OU fans who feel the same way.