Can Baker Mayfield live up to his NFL Top 100 ranking in 2021?

The 2020 season was just about all smiles for Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns.

The first overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft put together a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2019, leading Cleveland to its first playoff appearance since 2002. The Browns advanced to the AFC divisional round, in which they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mayfield's breakthrough didn't go unnoticed by other players, with the quarterback being voted to the NFL Top 100 by his peers after missing the list in 2020.

But even with his return to elite status (in the opinion of those who play the game), not everyone is sold on Mayfield being among the truly great players in the NFL.

One of those detractors is Marcellus Wiley, who explained on "Speak For Yourself" why he doesn't see Mayfield as elite.

"Baker Mayfield has never been to a Pro Bowl, including last year. There are 265 active players who are Pro Bowlers, and y'all trying to tell me he should be in the Top 100 when he is not even one of those guys?"

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Although Mayfield had a strong campaign in 2020, throwing 26 touchdown passes to only eight interceptions, Wiley's concerns have merit.

After setting the then-rookie passing touchdown record with 27 TDs in 2018, Mayfield struggled mightily in 2019, throwing just 22 touchdown passes while also tossing 21 interceptions.

The QB has yet to string together consistent years of quality play, providing reasons to be apprehensive about his coronation.

And now, expectations are through the roof for the Browns, thanks to a roster that doesn't appear to have a true weakness. Mayfield should have at his disposal all the tools to string together consecutive quality campaigns.

To that end, getting on the same page as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is coming off of a torn ACL, will go a long way toward ensuring Mayfield lives up to his ranking.

As pointed out by Sam Penix for Sports Illustrated, Mayfield struggled to create chemistry with Beckham in their first two seasons together in Cleveland.

"Per Pro Football Focus, out of Beckham’s 130 targets in 2019, 27 of them were deemed uncatchable, which tied for the league lead," Penix said. "That percentage skyrocketed to 19 of 43 in 2020, so only 55.8% of Beckham’s targets were able to be caught.

"That is just horrible. Yet many still blame him for Mayfield’s struggles, instead of the other way around. Beckham got open, often downfield. Mayfield just didn’t see him, and when he did, he had almost a 50% chance of not giving Beckham a shot to actually bring in the pass."

This season, with a healthy Beckham Jr. back in the fold, as well as top 100 wide receiver Jarvis Landry on the outside, Mayfield will have one of the best receiving duos in the league — and no excuses.

If Mayfield is able to live up to the hype and produce with those two, it could also serve as an opportunity for him to cash-in. He knows that the best route to a big payday is to win and win big.

"Win here, and it will take care of itself," he said when asked about a contract extension in a recent interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio.

The pressure is on Mayfield entering 2021, and he has a chance to make an immediate statement, with a heavyweight matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on the road in Week 1.

If he's feeling dangerous, that just might be good news for Mayfield and the Browns this season. And he could find himself on the NFL's Top 100 again in 2022 — this time with a lot more money in his pocket. 

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