The NFL draft is coming and after Johnny Manziel's pro day, mock draft experts are moving him around the first round and one possibility is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at number seven in the draft, as he got the attention of Lovie Smith after his workout and with the Bucs looking to take a QB in the draft at some point, Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater are prime targets.
Smith has already said that he will be looking to draft a quarterback in May and while he did not say what round that would be in, many have speculated that the team will be in the mix in the top 10. The team picks after teams like the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns and they all could go after QBs, but if a player Smith likes is there, there's a good chance the Buccaneers will take him, as the team is not totally sold yet on Mike Glennon as the future starter heading into the 2014 season. The team signed Josh McCown and he will take over this year, but he is not a long term option.
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McCown was very good last season in Chicago and he has a relationship with Smith and now the question is who will be the primary backup and developmental option for the future. The team likes Glennon, but the previous regime of Greg Schiano and Mark Dominik made that pick and Smith and new GM Jason Licht have no ties to him and that is why someone like Bortles or Manziel will be a target when the draft comes along in May. If the team misses out on one of those top names, the Buccaneers have a deep roster of names to pick from, including AJ McCarron, Derek Carr, David Fales, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray, so either way the team will be covered.
According to ESPN.com, the Buccaneers and a number of other teams have met with Manziel and if he ends up slipping out of the top five, expect the Bucs to be an option. Last season the team ranked 32nd in the league in passing yards per game and while part of that was injuries, Josh Freeman and bad coaching by Schiano, it's still last in the league and something that needs to be improved upon. Glennon had 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions and passed for 2608 yards, but he was under 60 percent in completion percentage and he will have to do better than that in the future.
Manziel's workout was a success like many of these things are, as he completed all but two passes to his teammates and one of those was easily the receivers fault that it hit the ground. Manziel looked good avoiding pressure and was very accurate with his passing and he did in shoulder pads and a helmet and while that is unusual, it may have been a great positive for Manziel as he looks to go in the top 10. The Buccaneers have a number of improvements to make this season and adding Manziel could be the start of a new era under Smith.