The Houston Texans are reportedly torn between selecting Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel or UCF quarterback Blake Bortles as the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NFL draft. Texans owner Bob McNair wants Manziel while new coach Bill O'Brien wants Bortles, NESN reports.
Manziel and Bortles are expected to be two of the first three quarterbacks off the board in April. Former NFL scout Russ Lande said there's a divide in the Texans organization: the owner wants Manziel, and the coach wants Bortles.
"According to trusted sources, the Texans are initially leaning towards taking either Blake Bortles or Johnny Manziel with the top pick," Lande said on Tuesday in an article published by SportsOnEarth.com. "Although Manziel would obviously be the choice of owner Bob McNair, O'Brien is not sold that Manziel posseses the work ethic and intangibles necessary to be the face of the franchise."
Lande also didn't rule out the possibility of Houston trading down in the draft.
ESPN's Mel Kiper, in his first mock draft for 2014, predicted Manziel to go No. 1 to Houston and Bortles to go No. 4 to Cleveland.
"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."
