The Cleveland Browns are reportedly willing to trade up in the 2014 NFL draft for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. With the draft approaching, Manziel's value is rising and at least one analyst predicts Manziel to go No. 1 in April.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported sources as saying Cleveland is considering making a move in the upcoming draft for the chance to select Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.
"...(The Browns) are willing to trade up to land Johnny Manziel in the draft if need be, sources said, and have an owner, Jimmy Haslam, who is committed to spending their abundant cap space to try to win quickly," La Canfora wrote on Sunday.
Cleveland's quarterback situation — as well as its coaching situation — is in flux. Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer are on the roster, but none of them can make the claim of being the Browns' quarterback of the future.
Drafting Manziel could give Haslam his franchise quarterback. Although some scouts are concerned about Manziel's body size and maturity, the signal caller's draft stock continues to rise.
ESPN's Mel Kiper projects Manziel to go No. 1 in April to the Houston Texans, and a majority of mock drafts have Manziel as one of the top three college quarterbacks available.
"When you talk to people in the league, I get a consensus on Manziel that I don't get with Bortles or Bridgewater; a consensus that Manziel at worst is going five, he's going in the top five somewhere," Kiper explained Wednesday on ESPN. "And this is a guy who if you start thinking about him at five or seven, hey what's wrong with No. 1? It's not like your paying Stafford or Bradford money.
"Johnny Manziel is a magician on the field. If he eats, sleeps and drinks football 365 days a year, to me, he can be a very good to great player in the NFL. And today's NFL kind of suits his skill set very effectively and very well. ...
"If (the Texans) take a quarterback, I think Manziel is going to have to be heavily in the discussion."
Two quarterback-needy teams ahead of the Browns — Houston (1) and Jacksonville (3) — could snatch Manziel first. Should Cleveland feel Manziel is the answer at quarterback, the team has the No. 4 overall pick and Indianapolis's No. 26 pick to bait a trade and move up.
