Baker Mayfield Talks Johnny Manziel Comparisons: '2 Completely Different People'

Beyond the fact they're both Heisman Trophy winners, the comparisons between Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel effectively end there.

Mayfield emphasized as much Monday, saying he and Manziel are "two completely different people," according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

"I've always been a team-oriented guy," Mayfield said. "Not saying that Johnny wasn't. But I've quickly earned the respect of my teammates because of how I worked. I wasn't given the natural talent that Johnny had. Because he's a talent. And there's a reason he got taken in the first round, amazing player. We're just not the same mentally. Just wired differently."

Some will point to Mayfield's swagger as a reason to draw a parallel between him and Manziel.

The Oklahoma Sooners star famously planted the school's flag at the 50-yard line after a 31-16 road win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Mayfield also earned a two-play suspension after making a suggestive gesture toward Kansas Jayhawks players in a 41-3 victory last November.

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But it's not as if Mayfield and Manziel are the only players who reacted demonstratively during the course of a game.

Mayfield also pleaded guilty to public intoxication and disorderly conduct last June stemming from a February 2017 arrest, which draws another unfortunate connection to Manziel, who pleaded guilty in July 2013 to a charge of failure to identify himself.

Manziel's off-field issues appeared to be part of something far bigger.

ESPN The Magazine's Wright Thompson spoke to Manziel's father, Paul, who said he worried his son drank alcohol to deal with the stress in his life. According to Thompson, Manziel's parents and then-Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin ordered Manziel to attend alcohol counseling as a result of his arrest that led to the guilty plea.

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine told reporters in December 2015 that the team failed to "[anticipate] that his problems, his issues, how deep-rooted they were, the extent of it."

Beyond the less-tangible aspects of their college careers, Mayfield and Manziel simply aren't the same kind of quarterback.

Manziel left Texas A&M having thrown for 7,820 yards, 63 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in two years. According to Sports Reference, he had a 164.1 passer rating and averaged 9.4 adjusted yards per attempt.

Mayfield threw for 14,607 yards, 131 touchdowns and 30 interceptions between his time with Oklahoma and Texas Tech. He had a 175.4 passer rating, which is the second-best in FBS history, and the same applies to his 10.6 adjusted yards per attempt, per Sports Reference.

Whether it's fair or not, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio posited NFL teams could continue making the comparison between Manziel and Mayfield as a way to test Mayfield throughout the draft process this spring.