Mel Kiper projected multiple times in his mock drafts that Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will be the number one overall pick in the draft in May and Thursday will be a big step in that process, as the Aggies will be having a Pro Day workout and Manziel will be throwing for the first time for NFL scouts and Mike Evans will be on hand to catch balls as he looks to go in the top 10 as well.
Manziel has been the most talked-about player heading into the draft after his extremely productive college career and now he will have the chance to show off his arm to scouts and NFL personnel after opting not to throw at the combine in Indianapolis. According to ESPN.com, Manziel has been working with private quarterback coach George Whitfield and Mike Evans will be showing off with Manziel and the QB will be throwing to Travis Labhart and Derel Walker along with running back Ben Malena. The Aggies were one of the most productive teams in the nation last season under head coach Kevin Sumlin and now Manziel could end up being the number one overall pick in the draft.
The Houston Texans have the top pick in the draft and many expect new head coach Bill O'Brien to select a quarterback at some point, but he has not tipped his hand as to when. Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater are considered to be the top three quarterbacks in the class and names like AJ McCarron, Derek Carr, David Fales, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray are other names that will be getting attention. In Kiper's first mock draft he has two quarterbacks going in the top four picks, with the Texans taking Manziel and the Browns taking Blake Bortles.
Some in the media have brought up Manziel's size and his wild playing style as reasons why he may not succeed in the NFL and there has been some speculation that he could drop a bit if he doesn't have a strong showing leading up the draft. Manziel was prolific in his two years of starting for the Aggies, rushing for 30 total touchdowns while going for 1,410 yards in his Heisman year and 759 last season. Manziel passed for more yards this season than in 2012, going for over 4,100 and 37 touchdowns and he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes, raising his percentage from last season as well. Manziel passed for 63 touchdowns in his career and his final game in a Texas uniform saw him pass for 382 yards and four touchdowns against Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Manziel skipped the first pro day for the Aggies in early March and now he will be front and center, as over 100 NFL staffers will be there from various teams as he shows off his arm. Evans will have plenty of eyes on him as well and he could end up sneaking into the top 10 with a good showing here and some teams could potentially trade up for him, including the San Francisco 49ers or NY Jets. Check here for more on mock drafts or the upcoming workouts and live coverage from ESPN. And here is the link to Watch ESPN.
