Baker Mayfield 2.0? Texas QB Quinn Ewers Compared to Former Heisman Winner

NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah believes there's a lot of Baker Mayfield in Quinn Ewers' game

Quarterback Quinn Ewers throws passes to receivers who were participating in Texas Longhorns Football Pro Day at Frank Denius Fields Wednesday March 20, 2024. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA

Despite the actual draft not taking place for another 11 months, NFL draft analysts work year-round to find the next great prospects at every position. Despite knocks on his mechanics and decision-making, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers could find his way to the top of a wide-open quarterback class, and NFL Network draft insider Daniel Jeremiah sees a lot of a certain former Oklahoma quarterback in Ewers' game.

In Jeremiah’s early scouting work, the expert compared Ewers to a man who terrorized the Longhorns in his final two years as an Oklahoma Sooner, Baker Mayfield. 

“Both guys have a quick twitch in everything they do,” Jeremiah said in a recently published article. “There’s a moxie and playmaking skill set to build around with both guys.”

It’s easy to forget the style of prospect Mayfield was after a whirlwind of an NFL career. Despite playing for four different teams in the last three years, Mayfield was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft that shared a lot of similarities to that of the 2025 one. The 2018 class featured many talented, yet unproven, quarterback heading into their junior years. The 2025 class features players like Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe all have the talent to be top-10 picks, but another year of play is needed to be able to make that distinction.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) talks to an official during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

In Mayfield’s last season at Oklahoma, he led the Sooners to a 12-2 record, losing in the College Football Playoff semi-final. Mayfield threw for 4600 yards and 43 touchdowns in his final year, and his play in big games allowed for him to be the first name called in Arlington, Texas that year. 

Ewers has some work to do if he wants to get there. To match Mayfield’s senior year stats, Ewers would need to throw for 40 more yards and a touchdown per game, while leading the Longhorns to a top-four finish in the nation. Mayfield also won the Heisman that year, making it an even harder task to conquer. But it’s far from impossible.

Texas currently has the fourth-best odds to win the national championship, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and Ewers has the third-highest betting odds for the Heisman on the same site. Texas is favored to be a top-four team, and if Ewers can take the next step as the youngest player in the top-four Heisman odds, it’s not crazy to expect Ewers to be in New York for the Heisman ceremony. 

Ewers has a lot to do to become what Baker Mayfield was to Oklahoma, but saying its impossible would be incorrect. A lot would have to go right, but if Jeremiah is correct about his assessment Texas fans may be looking at one of, if not the best, quarterback in college football in 2024.