A year ago today, Baker Mayfield arrived in Cleveland for the third time — and the second as an employee of the Browns. Mayfield reported for his official orientation and introduction to the playbook at rookie minicamp exactly a week after the Browns made him the No. 1 pick in the draft.



That was a culmination of a seven-month flirtation that began before the Browns hired John Dorsey as general manager. By the time the Browns picked Mayfield, they’d met with him in three states, had conducted a private-jet tour to watch and meet with the other three top quarterbacks in the class, and Dorsey had even intentionally avoided Mayfield at the Senior Bowl in an attempt to prevent the rumor mill from churning too early.



In the pursuit of picking the right player to help end a streak of historic losing, you dig deeply. You duck, you dodge, you drive. Eventually, you get right to it. Before Dorsey went all “buddy boy” on Mayfield in the April 26, 2018,...