Saquon Barkley Defends Baker Mayfield's 'Dad Bod' Amid Crictisms on Social Media

Gettyimages | Thearon W. Henderson

The Cleveland Browns' quarterback, Baker Mayfield, just finished his sophomore year in the NFL, but despite being the Heisman winner in college where he played at the University of Oklahoma, and subsequently being the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, Mayfield has been told he wasn't good enough, again and again.

Some have pointed to his height, which isn't ideal for the quarterback position, especially in the NFL, even though the signal-caller has the uncanny ability to scramble and make miraculous throws. Well, add his body type and physique to the growing list of things that don't make him a prototypical NFL quarterback, according to critics.

Saquon Barkley | Instagram

With the 2019 season coming to an end last Sunday at the Super Bowl, many players who were on a team that didn't make the playoffs or were eliminated from the playoffs took some personal time to relax and vacation while they could. Afterall, offseason workouts and camp doesn't seem that far out, despite it only being February.

Mayfield and some of his closest NFL buddies, including New York Giants running back, Saquon Barkley, decided to take some personal time out of their hectic, busy schedules and head to the Caribbean. During their vacation, though, the squad took a picture, naturally. And while everyone else looked to be in top shape, Baker, not so much.

Gettyimages | Maddie Meyer

Criticisms came Mayfield's way for not looking like an NFL player, but again, the guy shows amazing athleticism when he's in the game and can throw an 80-yard pass, should he need to. And it should be noted that while quarterbacks can be athletic and lean, the success in their position relies solely upon their game intelligence, as well as, their ability to throw accurate and smart passes, while avoiding defensive pass rushes.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are two perfect examples. The two Hall-of-Famers are known as pocket passers and absolutely have little to no athletic ability. Yet, they'll go down as two of the best to ever play the position. It just goes to show.

Gettyimages | Al Bello

Nonetheless, people on social media made sure to poke fun at the less than ripped Mayfield. One user on Twitter wrote, "When I tell my wife I'm built like a professional football player.... I'm not lying. Thanks Baker LOL #SuperBowl #BAKERMAYFIELD," while another shared, "I’d be swimming in my t-shirt.

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Luckily for Baker, he is an NFL quarterback, and he also had his buddy, Saquon to back him up. "He's a quarterback, he's not supposed to be shredded," Barkley said to Sports Illustrated. "We in off-season, he's gonna have time to get his body right. He can throw the ball 80 yards. That's the only thing that matters."

Gettyimages | Elsa

And although Mayfield doesn't have to have a ripped body to be successful in the NFL, he does have some things he needs to work on while he has off time, including getting on the same page as his offense. The Cleveland Browns have perhaps the most offensive talent in the NFL, yet, the team very much underperformed this past season.

Everyone will be cool with Mayfield rocking the 'Dad Bod', as long as he makes the proper offensive adjustments before the next season begins.