How to watch the NFL draft
With the 2014 NFL Draft fast approaching, find out how to catch all the action from Radio City Music Hall on NFL Network. **More ...**
It's hard to find a more polarizing prospect than Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft -- or any draft in recent memory, for that matter. Some see a unique talent with the innate ability to light up a scoreboard, others see a flawed quarterback who won't transition on the field and could be a headache off it. Consequently, draft projections are all over the place for the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.
Well, it's time to lock in your final answer on one of this draft's biggest questions: Where will Johnny Football land?
How about the St. Louis Rams? With their second first-round pick (No. 13 overall), definitely not the first (No. 2). Many NFL teams need a QB, but I'm not convinced that anyone wants to pull the trigger on Johnny Manziel at a draft slot higher than 13th.
The Rams have made no secret of their interest in quarterbacks this year -- they almost certainly will take one at some point. General manager Les Snead wanted it to be later rather than sooner, but if Manziel does indeed get to 13 -- and considering that having a second first-round pick is a luxury anyway -- I could see St. Louis taking him there.
I submitted my last mock draft on Tuesday, and already, I'm wracked by regret. Did I even come close?! Well, it's almost time to find out ...
My last prediction for Johnny Manziel: The Cleveland Browns at No. 4. But, I had agonized over putting him with the Rams at No. 2 -- and actually placed him in that slot before changing my mind. Wish I had done what teachers stress in test-taking: Go with your initial impulse!
Josh McCown is a short-term solution that would be better off as a no-term solution in Tampa. The team clearly has no use for Mike Glennon, whom we might as well call an ex-Buccaneer by now.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are led by a defensive-minded coach who knows how difficult it would be to prepare for a quarterback like Johnny Manziel. Lovie Smith sees the model of the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers -- dominant defense with a playmaker at quarterback -- and wants to replicate their success. Manziel is the quarterback Smith never had in Chicago. And Manziel is the only player in this draft who could put people in the seats for a franchise adrift. When looking for an ownership group that could make an impact on draft day, look no further than the Glazers.
Collect your loved ones. Tie up loose ends. And for the love of everything holy, batten down the hatches. The decision that will break Twitter and follow through on the destructive promise of Y2K is upon us: Johnny Football is about to become a Dallas Cowboy.
Don't buy into Jerry Jones' jive talk. Johnny Manziel is the quarterback that the famous owner dreams of at night. Tony Romo has been a good soldier in Dallas, and a much better player than his detractors give him credit for. But he's 34 and coming off a second back surgery. Jones is 71 and hell-bent on returning the Cowboys to true "America's Team" status ASAP.
Manziel represents the right guy at the right time for a franchise that lives and breathes on star power. If Jerrah gets the chance, he won't let JFF get out of Texas.
I believe Johnny Manziel will go to the Rams with the 13th pick of the first round. I would not do it myself, but that's not what this question is asking.
Something to watch if Johnny Football does end up in St. Louis: Brian Schottenheimer's offensive approach. Manziel is a completely different kind of quarterback than Sam Bradford, so system questions would loom large.
On a recent edition of the "Around The League Podcast," I took a shot and projected Johnny Manziel to the Cleveland Browns. According to Jay Glazer, that ship has sailed.
St. Louis will be tempted to pull the trigger on the electrifying playmaker, but the Rams have made a beautiful living off trading out of the No. 2 spot, and I believe they'll do it again.
The Buccaneers want someone to develop behind Josh McCown not named Mike Glennon. Pairing Johnny Football with quarterback tutor Jeff Tedford would give Lovie Smith a needle-moving offense to pair alongside Tampa Bay's nasty young defense. Look out, NFC South.
I believe Johnny Manziel goes to either the St. Louis Rams or Cleveland Browns. For those two teams, he would provide the desired moxie to play against tough foes in the NFC West and AFC North, respectively. And offensive coordinators Brian Schottenheimer (Rams) and Kyle Shanahan (Browns) both have experience in adapting their schemes to best fit the quarterback.
I would consider the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a sleeper team for Manziel, as general manager Jason Licht wouldn't rule out taking a quarterback on my SiriusXM Radio show, "Schein on Sports."
