Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine recently said that Johnny Manziel could win the starting quarterback job over veteran free agent Josh McCown during training camp. However, a few days into camp and McCown remains with the first team while reports on Manziel have been mixed. That doesn't mean that Manziel is done in Cleveland. He still has a year to prove that he belongs in the NFL. But if he can't do that then the Browns will once again be looking for a quarterback in the NFL draft.
Although it's way too early to begin projecting draft slots for 2016, getting an idea of which players are valued at certain positions is a worthwhile exercise. Despite a down 2014 season, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg appears to be at the top of the list. In fact, Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated has Cleveland selecting him with the sixth overall pick.
"The Hackeneberg hype died down some last season, as he struggled to an eight-TD, 15-interception campaign," Burke wrote. "His offensive line did him no favors, but Hackenberg's decision-making was a mess. Expect him to get it back on track this season. The bandwagon will fill up in a hurry if he does. At 6'4", with a strong arm and experience in a pro-style system, Hackenberg fits the classic NFL prototype at QB. Cleveland should know well before the '16 draft if it needs another franchise guy."
The Browns have also been linked to Michigan State's Connor Cook and Ohio State's Cardale Jones in the 2016 NFL Draft. But, at the moment, several NFL experts believe Hackenberg has the most potential out of that group of possible first-round QBs. Overall, he has completed 57.2 percent of his passes while throwing for 5,932 yards with 32 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in two seasons at Penn State. This upcoming season will determine if he is contention to be the first signal-caller off the board.
