There was a different feeling in the air in Cleveland when Baker Mayfield took the field in the second quarter last week against the New York Jets. Fans exploded in excitement at the first sight of the Browns' first-round pick, and the rookie stepped onto the field with an air of confidence that made a 14-point comeback look like a manageable task. The evaluators who had talked about Mayfield having the "it" factor they look for in quarterbacks could not have been surprised.
Aggressiveness, amnesia after making mistakes and unflappable confidence no matter the circumstances are all built into the "it" factor, and Mayfield has all of these qualities, which are largely unmeasurable.