Johnny Manziel's Pro Day drew representatives from every single NFL team but two, a former president, a first lady and a Texas governor. Professional athletes praised the upcoming draft pick as a true star. Nike even sold apparel inspired by the event. Everyone seemed impressed with the former Texas A&M quarterback, well, not everyone.
The Minnesota Vikings need a quarterback. Drafting at No. 8 likely does not keep them in contention to get Manziel and head coach Mike Zimmer might be ok with that. Zimmer, along with offensive coordinator Norv Turner were on hand to watch the spectacle and called it just that. According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Zimmer was not overly excited watching Manziel's Pro Day. He claimed the workout was "different" and called the entire thing a "sideshow."
Zimmer's reaction is not really a surprise. He is known as a no nonsense type of coach that does not appreciate turning a workout into a media circus. However, it could also point to the fact that Zimmer has no interest in Manziel as a quarterback option for the team. According to NFL Draft Insider Tony Pauline, Zimmer and Turner are actually more interested in Clemson's Tajh Boyd or AJ McCarron in a later round, rather than grabbing someone early.
Their draft spot leaves them out of getting at least two of three most popular quarterbacks in this year's draft. Someone like Manziel or Blake Bortles will go No. 1 overall while the other goes as early as No. 3. The Vikings have already re-signed Matt Cassel for the coming year, so the rush to grab someone early is not really there. Minnesota can afford to address another need in the first round before going to get a quarterback in the second or third round.
Zimmer told media during the NFL meetings that Turner's open on a quarterback will matter more than his. He praised the offensive coordinator for the work he has done on current NFL quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Troy Aikman in the past.
"We've been working out these quarterbacks, and we go over the offense with these players," Zimmer said, via ESPN.com. "That's actually helped. I'll sit in there, we'll talk about the offense, and after we get done, I'll ask him, 'Why are we doing it this way? This makes more sense to me.' And we talk about it. He's been doing it for a long time, so he's got a lot of good points."
Boyd's draft stock has taken a hit since the Senior Bowl, but Turner knows better than anyone else. McCarron or someone like Aaron Murray fit well into Turner's system, so maybe the team does not need to join in on the Manziel sweepstakes.
