Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel reportedly filed paperwork to declare for the 2014 NFL draft. With quarterback-needy teams, Manziel is projected to be a top five pick - possibly to the Jacksonville Jaguars or Minnesota Vikings.
Manziel filed early entry paperwork on Wednesday to declare himself eligible for the upcoming draft, according to both ESPN and NFL.com. Manziel, the 2012 Heisman winner, will forego his final two seasons at Texas A&M and finish his collegiate career with 7,820 passing yards and 63 touchdowns, along with 2,169 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns.
Although Manziel's height and off-the-field behavior have some NFL teams wary, the signal caller is still expected to be an early first-round pick. ESPN's Todd McShay has Manziel going No. 4 overall to Jacksonville, and ESPN's Mel Kiper projects Manziel to be a top five or top eight pick.
"Manziel is still kind of a wildcard because he doesn't fit what everybody wants. But when you have four of the top five teams needing quarterbacks, and five of the top eight - Minnesota being at No. 8 - you're going to see these quarterbacks go," Kiper said during an ESPN interview published on Wednesday.
While one NFL scout sees Manziel as a Joe Montana-type of quarterback, Kiper compares Manziel to a Fran Tarkenton or Doug Flutie because of 21-year-old's creative ability and elusiveness in the pocket.
The majority of mock drafts have Manziel as the third quarterback to go off the board in April. Kiper projects the quarterback order to go: 1) Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, 2) UCF's Blake Bortles, 3) Manziel, 4) Fresno State's Derek Carr and 5) Alabama's AJ McCarron.
