Originally Posted by
steelreserve
The hell of it is, they could've taken Barkley at #1 and still had no problem getting Mayfield #4. Judging from the surprised reactions, I am 99% certain nobody else had him as their top-rated QB or was going to use a top-5 pick on him. To everyone but the Browns, he was the fourth QB on the board. So they essentially outbid themselves on that one.
On the other hand, as amazing as Barkley is, he is probably going to get hurt before long. On half or more of his highlight-reel runs, he is an inch away from someone falling heavily sideways into his legs as he makes a cutback. One unlucky play where that happens while his leg is planted, and that's a blown-out knee for sure. It sucks to think about, but I would be willing to bet money on that.