The Cleveland Browns currently have a four-man quarterback competition underway in training camp, and one of the veteran contests is Kenny Pickett.
A former first-round pick, Pickett has not exactly lived up to expectations on the NFL level and is now on his third team after failing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and then spending one year with the Philadelphia Eagles as a backup.
Pickett is getting another chance at a starting job with the Browns, and while most don't seem to believe in him, cornerback Greg Newsome II really loves what he is seeing from the 27-year-old. In fact, he compared him to a certain former quarterback Cleveland would certainly like to have back in the fold: Baker Mayfield.
"He's always been one of my favorite guys to compete against," Newsome said on 92.3 the Fan. "He's a guy that reminds me of that tenacity that Baker had. Just out there trying to go out you, going to talk some trash with you, just an ultimate competitor. He does whatever the offense needs for him to win. ... Whatever he needs to do, I feel like he'll be able to do it at a high level."
Through 30 appearances and 25 starts over the course of three NFL seasons, Pickett has thrown a grand total of 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, so his stat line isn't exactly impressive. Meanwhile, Mayfield just racked up 41 touchdown passes en route to his second straight Pro Bowl appearance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Now, to be fair, Newsome was only really comparing Pickett to Mayfield as a competitor, but perhaps the University of Pittsburgh product does have something in the tank that we haven't really seen yet. If he wins the Browns' starting quarterback job, we will get to see if Pickett can finally break out.