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ESPN analyst says he wouldn’t take Manziel in first three rounds of draft
Posted on February 26, 2014 at 10:06 am by David Barron in 2014 Draft
With little on Wednesday’s sports agenda to stir discussion and debate prior to the late night Rockets-Clippers game, ESPN turned to a tried and true conversation starter: Johnny Manziel.
NFL analyst Ron Jaworski was the prime mover of the day, saying that based on film study of five Texas A&M games in 2013, he doesn’t think Manziel is worthy of being picked in the first round of the NFL Draft – or, for that matter, the second and maybe not the third.
“My grade right now is incomplete, but I do not see very many redeeming qualities in his game that project him to be a first-round pick, a second-round pick and, to me, I think he’s a third-round pick or maybe later,” Jaworski said.
And, as if the conversation needed to be tweaked to an even higher level, Jaworski pulled out the ultimate conversation-starter for fans of the Texans, who have the first pick in the NFL Draft. He suggested that the Texans and new coach Bill O’Brien might be better suited by sticking with veteran Matt Schaub at quarterback.
“I can’t advise Bill O’Brien who to take, but I’m certain Bill O’Brien knows what he wants his quarterback to look like,” Jaworski said. “And I actually think they have a quarterback on their roster in Matt Schaub that is the kind of quarterback that Bill O’Brien likes.
“I think he’s going to say, ‘Hmmm. I like this Schaub guy. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in size and stature,’ maybe not the outstanding consistency of Tom Brady, but you have an experienced, veteran quarterback, you surround him with the right people, I think Matt Schaub can still play a very solid game in the NFL.”
Jaworski, who played for the Rams, Eagles and two other teams before joining ESPN, has on occasion been generous toward younger quarterbacks. He said prior to the 2013 season that the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick “could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever,” and he praised Russell Wilson of the Seahawks for sound mechanics and ability to throw from the pocket prior to Seattle’s march last season to the Super Bowl.
However, he thinks Manziel at the moment comes up short in categories that define success in the NFL.
“The NFL game is about the pre-snap phase of the game, getting in the proper protection, then, when you drop back, reading coverage properly, getting the ball out of your hand early in time with your receiver so when they turn, that ball is there,” he said.” And it is ball security in the pocket, taking care of the football. It’s mechanics in the pocket: your throwing slot is consistent.
“And right now, I see Johnny Manziel as a project, a guy that will go down as one of the great collegiate players of all time. I would pay to see Johnny Manziel play in a college game. He’s a great college player, but his game, just in my opinion, does not project to the NFL. He’s a project, and he’s going to have to spend some time working on his game.”
With plenty of “SportsCenter” time to fill later in the day, ESPN called on its NFL Draft expert, Mel Kiper, for an alternate view.
Kiper acknowledged that he could not say with certainty that Manziel will succeed in the NFL but scoffed at the notion that he was a “project” prospect who would not play immediately.
“What you see is what you get. He’s playing right away,” Kiper said. “This isn’t 1985, when you developed quarterbacks. What (Jaworski) is saying is that ‘he’s not my kind of quarterback. I don’t want him.’”
Kiper said Manziel has the physical potential to emulate Fran Tarkington, the scrambling quarterback for the Vikings and Giants in the 1960s and ‘70s, and he laughed out loud at the notion that Manziel could slide to the second or third round of the draft.
“That’s laughable,” he said.
Posted on February 26, 2014 at 10:06 am by David Barron in 2014 Draft
With little on Wednesday’s sports agenda to stir discussion and debate prior to the late night Rockets-Clippers game, ESPN turned to a tried and true conversation starter: Johnny Manziel.
NFL analyst Ron Jaworski was the prime mover of the day, saying that based on film study of five Texas A&M games in 2013, he doesn’t think Manziel is worthy of being picked in the first round of the NFL Draft – or, for that matter, the second and maybe not the third.
“My grade right now is incomplete, but I do not see very many redeeming qualities in his game that project him to be a first-round pick, a second-round pick and, to me, I think he’s a third-round pick or maybe later,” Jaworski said.
And, as if the conversation needed to be tweaked to an even higher level, Jaworski pulled out the ultimate conversation-starter for fans of the Texans, who have the first pick in the NFL Draft. He suggested that the Texans and new coach Bill O’Brien might be better suited by sticking with veteran Matt Schaub at quarterback.
“I can’t advise Bill O’Brien who to take, but I’m certain Bill O’Brien knows what he wants his quarterback to look like,” Jaworski said. “And I actually think they have a quarterback on their roster in Matt Schaub that is the kind of quarterback that Bill O’Brien likes.
“I think he’s going to say, ‘Hmmm. I like this Schaub guy. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in size and stature,’ maybe not the outstanding consistency of Tom Brady, but you have an experienced, veteran quarterback, you surround him with the right people, I think Matt Schaub can still play a very solid game in the NFL.”
Jaworski, who played for the Rams, Eagles and two other teams before joining ESPN, has on occasion been generous toward younger quarterbacks. He said prior to the 2013 season that the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick “could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever,” and he praised Russell Wilson of the Seahawks for sound mechanics and ability to throw from the pocket prior to Seattle’s march last season to the Super Bowl.
However, he thinks Manziel at the moment comes up short in categories that define success in the NFL.
“The NFL game is about the pre-snap phase of the game, getting in the proper protection, then, when you drop back, reading coverage properly, getting the ball out of your hand early in time with your receiver so when they turn, that ball is there,” he said.” And it is ball security in the pocket, taking care of the football. It’s mechanics in the pocket: your throwing slot is consistent.
“And right now, I see Johnny Manziel as a project, a guy that will go down as one of the great collegiate players of all time. I would pay to see Johnny Manziel play in a college game. He’s a great college player, but his game, just in my opinion, does not project to the NFL. He’s a project, and he’s going to have to spend some time working on his game.”
With plenty of “SportsCenter” time to fill later in the day, ESPN called on its NFL Draft expert, Mel Kiper, for an alternate view.
Kiper acknowledged that he could not say with certainty that Manziel will succeed in the NFL but scoffed at the notion that he was a “project” prospect who would not play immediately.
“What you see is what you get. He’s playing right away,” Kiper said. “This isn’t 1985, when you developed quarterbacks. What (Jaworski) is saying is that ‘he’s not my kind of quarterback. I don’t want him.’”
Kiper said Manziel has the physical potential to emulate Fran Tarkington, the scrambling quarterback for the Vikings and Giants in the 1960s and ‘70s, and he laughed out loud at the notion that Manziel could slide to the second or third round of the draft.
“That’s laughable,” he said.