What you see is what you get with QB Baker Mayfield

There is no in-between with Baker Mayfield.

You have to love a quarterback who made it as a walk-on not once but twice — a player who built himself into a winner and was rewarded for his accomplishments with the highest individual honor in college football.

Or you say “no thanks” to a player who doesn’t possess the physical stature of a prototypical quarterback and whose temperament sometimes is so over the top that he’s liable to incur the wrath of an opponent with an inappropriate gesture.

You might covet a player whose attitude sometimes blurs the line between confidence and cockiness, who already has produced a behind-the-scenes Facebook Watch series, “Behind Baker.” Or you might look for a more conventional quarterback who concerns himself more with X’s and O’s than self-promotion.

With Mayfield, it sure feels like boom or bust. Now it’s a matter of where he proves he’ll be as good as he says he is. Or whether he turns out to be a flop.

Mayfield is almost a lock to be a top-five pick, and the Jets at No. 3 have shown serious interest in him. The Giants, who have the second overall pick, also have studied Mayfield closely, as have the Browns (first and fourth), Broncos (fifth) and Bills (12th but with a chance to move up in a trade).

Wherever he winds up, the spotlight will shine brightly.

“I can handle the spotlight,” Mayfield said. “I think under pressure is something I thrive on. First things first. You’ve got to win. Doesn’t matter where you are.”

You can’t argue with his stature as a winning quarterback in college. Mayfield made it as a walk-on at Texas Tech, then walked on at Oklahoma and went on to three highly productive seasons, compiling incredible stats along the way. He threw 119 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions for Oklahoma, including 43 touchdown passes and six interceptions last year. He was entirely deserving of the Heisman Trophy he won after a brilliant 2017 season. But he’s not a perfect prospect by any means.

At a shade under 6-1, Mayfield doesn’t have ideal height and could struggle as a pocket passer in the NFL, where all but a handful of shorter quarterbacks have struggled. The two most noteworthy exceptions in today’s game: future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees of the Saints and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks.

Mayfield bristles at the idea that he can’t succeed because of his size.

“Height doesn’t matter,” he said. “If you want to say anything else, I’ve got three years of tape you can watch. Height doesn’t matter at that point.”

Mayfield also had the benefit of playing mostly in a spread offense in college, so the transition to the more conventional pro-type offense in the NFL could be a major adjustment. There is a long list of great college players who starred in the spread offense but struggled in the pros.

Mayfield’s character also has come into question. He was arrested on Feb. 25, 2017, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, fleeing and resisting arrest. Mayfield reached a plea deal in June and agreed to pay $300 in fines, as well as $160 in court costs and $483.20 in restitution.

His on-field demeanor also was criticized last season — once when he planted the Oklahoma team flag in the middle of the field after a win at Ohio State and the other when he grabbed his crotch and delivered an expletive on the sideline during a win over Kansas. Mayfield subsequently apologized for both incidents.

Johnny Manziel 2.0?

“When it comes to that comparison,” Mayfield said, “we’re two completely different people.”

He insists his personality won’t be a detriment.

“I love the game. I’m up front and honest,” he said. “I know exactly what I’m about, and that’s the important thing. What you see is what you get. I want to get drafted to a team that knows exactly what they’re getting.”

What that team is getting is an electrifying athletic talent with a personality to match.

That’s a potentially combustible combination, but Mayfield isn’t backing down. Which could turn out to be a good thing.

Or not.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”