Johnny Manziel is a consensus top 10 pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Although his draft stock has fluctuated over the months, the latest from scouts, analysts and pundits indicate Manziel's stock is on the rise with the draft only days away.
ESPN pundit Skip Bayless is sold on Manziel. Bayless proclaimed the Houston Texans would "forever regret" not selecting Manziel with the No. 1 pick, and he insisted Manziel has the same intangibles as Tim Tebow but with the talent of a Pro Bowler.
"What Tebow kept pulling off late in games for the 2011 Denver Broncos, Manziel will make happen for all four quarters of NFL games," Bayless wrote on Friday. "Manziel has Tebow's miracle-making will, electrified by far more quickness, speed, accuracy, radar and football IQ. Manziel has Tebow's rare intangibles heightened by rarer tangibles.
"Tebow was a phenomenon. Manziel will be a perennial Pro Bowler, a Michael Vick fully capable of picking you to pieces from the pocket."
ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning coach John Gruden predicted Manziel would be a star in the NFL if paired with the right coach in the right system.
"I think he can create offense unlike most guys I've ever seen. And he has guts, quickness, vision and he loves the big arena, the big stage," Gruden said last week on "First Take", via ESPN. "Guys like him don't come across the map very often.
"I called plays for 14 years [in the NFL] and this is the kind of kid I'm looking for. This is the kind of quarterback I want to be around. I just get a certain feeling when I'm in the room with him. I think he permeates confidence throughout the entire building. He just has a certain magic to him."
As for possible landing spots for Manziel, the latest mock drafts from ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both project Manziel to go fourth overall to the Cleveland Browns.
At least two reports have indicated the Dallas Cowboys are determined to trade up for the 2012 Heisman winner, Bayless reported hearing myriad rumors of the Philadelphia Eagles also wanting to move up for Manziel and MMQB's Peter King said the St. Louis Rams "really like" Manziel with their No. 13 pick.
The draft begins on Thursday.
