Johnny Manziel

  As I watch film from "Johnny Football" at his pro day, I can't help but be amazed. He trots onto the field in shoulder pads and a helmet, already setting a different tone for his pro day. He shows his huge arm and accuracy early, and as he goes on, his mechanics look very crisp. Even his interview is impressive, as he says some of the common sense things that sports analysts try to make sound like hidden Illuminati texts. I'm truly impressed by this little dude in camo shorts, and now more than ever think that Houston should take him number one overall.
  First of all, the helmet and shoulder pads are a purely genius idea. I think all NFL prospects should take a queue from Johnny and show up in their gameday armor. Analysts are constantly saying football isn't played in shorts, and that's why Manziel wearing his pads and helmet is the perfect PR scheme. Johnny even says in his interview following the pro day that "I've never seen an NFL QB trot onto the field wearing shorts and a T-shirt."
 Watching his mechanics, they have improved greatly and should get Ron Jaworski off of his back, and to quit saying that he should be a 4th round pick. Despite Mr. Jaworski's constant labelling of Johnny's "bad" technique, the plays he chooses to highlight on ESPN's NFL Live have Johnny putting the ball where it needed to be. On the first play Johnny makes a good deep throw, and the receiver loses track of the ball, resulting in an incompletion. The second play, a defensive back simply makes a great play to knock the ball away.
  Now there are two areas where I will give Jaworski and the ESPN analysts credit, the first is durability concerns. Johnny is very undersized for the position and likes to operate in the open a lot. If Johnny is going to make it in the NFL he will have to learn to play like fellow short stack Russell Wilson. Wilson doesn't have many designed running plays, and knows how to get down and save himself when possible. If Johnny can learn when to slide, and when to duck out of bounds, he will have an opportunity to have a very long and successful career. Johnny himself acknowledged this in a post pro day interview, even directly saying that Russell Wilson is the kind of guy he has to play like to stay healthy. The second issue is Johnny passing up open receivers and struggling within the structure of an offense. Despite his amazing playmaking ability, Johnny can sometimes pass up open receivers to try and make a big play instead of taking what the defense gives him. This could lead to Johnny having some struggles early on if he does not adjust to this.
  Aside from durability concerns, Manziel has the ability and intangibles to be an all time great Quarterback. Manziel has the arm strength to make all the throws in the NFL, even from awkward angles outside of the pocket. Johnny has the competitive fire and the desire to be great, and inspires others to follow him on the football field. He has the mobility to get out of trouble, extend plays, and make huge plays out of potential losses. His best attribute is his quickness and acceleration, as well as his ability to see the entire field as a runner. I look at him as a combination of Fran Tarkenton, Brett Favre, and Ken Stabler. He has the gunslinger mentality of Brett Favre, never being afraid to make any throw or attempt any play. Johnny has the improvisational skills of both Favre and Tarkenton, being able to make something out of nothing while throwing off of his back foot and fighting off a 300 lbs Nose Guard. He also has the swagger and confidence as only Ken Stabler has previously shown in the NFL.
  I would love to see Johnny go to the Jaguars at 3 and give them something to be excited about in Jacksonville. My ideal draft scenario would be for Houston to take either Bortles or Jadeveon Clowney, Cleveland to take Jake Matthews and give Brian Hoyer the chance to start, and for Manziel to land in Jacksonville. This would give Gus Bradley similar offensive pieces to what he had in Seattle, to go along with his rebuilt defense. Ultimately, I believe Manziel should be the number one overall pick, but I hope he falls to Jacksonville.