OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens have had tremendous success against rookie quarterbacks.
But the Ravens don't see Baker Mayfield as your average rookie quarterback.
Heading into Sunday's game at Cleveland, Baltimore defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale gave a lofty compliment to this year's No. 1 overall pick.
"I already told the defense this, I think Baker Mayfield is this generation's Brett Favre or John Elway, if you will," Martindale said Thursday. "This guy knows where he wants to go with the ball, and he's very accurate. He's got a quick release, and he's really playing well."
Why would Martindale compare a quarterback with two games of experience to two of Hall of Fame quarterbacks?
"The kid's confidence and swag," Martindale said. "When he comes out there, he thinks he's standing on top of the mountain. He's making plays to show he's standing on top of the mountain."
Told of Martindale's comments, Browns offensive coordinator Todd Haley smiled.
"He's carving a bust?" Haley said, referring to the Hall of Fame.
Asked if he wanted to say any more, Haley added: "I'll hold my stance. I'm excited about a lot of things he's doing, but like I said this week will be a real test. We'll know a lot more come Sunday evening."
Favre said Wednesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he thinks Mayfield "can be great."
"To criticize how tall he is, I don't pay attention to that. I think Drew Brees has dispelled any of that talk.
"(Former Green Bay GM and Hall of Famer) Ron Wolf said it best. He goes 'You know, it's amazing to me today how the most overlooked thing with the quarterback is the fact he's a winner.' And we were talking about Baker Mayfield and ... he goes, 'That guy is a winner. He's been a walk-on ... he transferred, people tried to write him off but yet he's managed to persevere and he's a winner,'" he said.
In two games, Mayfield (listed at 6-foot-1) has passed for 496 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions (81.2 passer rating).
On Sunday, Mayfield will face the Ravens and the NFL's No. 2 defense, which has a history of dominating young passers. Under coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are 15-5 against rookie quarterbacks.
"Baker Mayfield is pretty advanced," Harbaugh said. "He's not, I don't think, a rookie in the true sense. He seems like he has a really good feel for the game."
ESPN's Pat McManamon contributed to this report.