NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock loves Texas A&M's quarterback Johnny Manziel's "innate feel" for the game, but he also wonders about Manziel's pocket presence in the NFL.
During a short segment on Manziel on the NFL Network's coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine, Mayock said he "sees [Doug] Flutie and [Fran] Tarkenton" when watching Manziel tape, and Mayock said Manziel has a definite "wow factor."
But Mayock questions Manziel's accuracy and decision-making when he is in the pocket. Manziel might be at his best when he can improvise, but Manziel struggled in losses to LSU and Missouri because those teams kept him in the pocket.
Mayock said Mizzou and LSU "set a cage up, set a fence" and kept Manziel from improvising. He said NFL defenses would try to do the same.
Manziel measured in at 5-foot-11¾ and 207 pounds at the combine's official weigh-in. Earlier in Sunday's telecast, NFL Network host Chris Rose said the last sub-6-0 quarterback taken in the first round was Ted Marchibroda -- in 1953.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
