Johnny Manziel - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Browns, Garoppolo, Texans, Watt

April 25th, 2014 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Drafting an elite non-quarterback with the fourth overall pick and addressing the QB position with pick No. 26 is one option for the Browns, but as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, it’s not without risk. Since other teams recognize the Browns are very likely to select a signal-caller at some point early in the draft, those clubs could try to trade ahead of the No. 26 spot in order to snatch up one of the QBs Cleveland is considering.

Here’s more from around the AFC, including a note on one possible quarterback target for the Browns:

Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo visited the Texans yesterday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), and then headed to Cleveland to visit the Browns today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) thinks Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel are the Texans‘ most likely targets at No. 1, and adds that the club would have to be “overwhelmed” by an offer to trade down.
In an entertaining piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry and Ari Nissim act out a hypothetical contract extension negotiation between the Texans and the agent for defensive star J.J. Watt.
Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman has visited or worked out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Hageman has previously checked in with the Falcons, Cardinals, Colts, and Steelers. The 6-foot-6, 318-pound athlete, one of the most physically impressive defensive linemen in the draft, ran the 40-yard dash in 5.02 seconds.
Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego wonders if tall Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant would help the Chargers.
Michael Lombardi of the Patriots worked out Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro today, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

South Rumors: Manziel, Bucs, Graham, Allen

April 23rd, 2014 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Johnny Manziel is on the short list of players the Buccaneers are “heavily considering” with the seventh overall pick in the draft, a source tells ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. Tampa Bay doesn’t have a long-term answer at the quarterback position and Manziel is viewed as one of the top two or three options in the draft, so the Bucs’ interest isn’t a huge surprise.

Let’s round up a few other items from out of the NFC and AFC South divisions….

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk passes along a report from JoeBucsFan.com indicating that Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack paid the Buccaneers a visit in Tampa. Word of the visit was broken by defensive end Steven Means, a current Buc and Mack’s former teammate at Buffalo.
Saints head coach Sean Payton told Mike Triplett of ESPN.com today that he doesn’t expect Jimmy Graham to participate in the club’s offseason conditioning program as long as the tight end’s contract situation remains unresolved, but Payton isn’t concerned, suggesting that’s “normal” (Twitter link). Graham was franchised by the Saints but has yet to accept or sign the franchise tender, as the two sides continue to work on a long-term agreement.
Former Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen, who was forced into early retirement for health reasons, will receive 50% of his 2014 salary, according to Ryan Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). Allen’s base salary before he was released was set to be $1.975MM, so he should receive about $1MM.

AFC North Rumors: Big Ben, Manziel, Bengals

April 23rd, 2014 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

It’s all still status quo when it comes to the Steelers and a possible contract extension for Ben Roethlisberger, writes Scott Brown of ESPN.com. “There’s been ongoing (contract) discussions for quite awhile,” agent Ryan Tollner said. “I think from the time we did the first extension there was sort of a plan moving forward. There’s a plan in place, but both sides are pretty committed to doing that privately and not having it be something that’s discussed in the media.” Pittsburgh can lower Roethlisberger’s cap hit of ~$18.9MM in 2014, but they can also wait to get a new deal done since they have already done the bulk of their free-agent shopping and will get more than $8MM in cap relief after June 1st.

Johnny Manziel is having his visit with the Browns today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). The Browns pick at No. 4 and again at No. 26 in next month’s draft.
Can the Bengals still be considered a deep team after a quiet offseason that saw them lose defensive end Michael Johnson, offensive tackle Anthony Collins, and receiver Andrew Hawkins? Coley Harvey of ESPN.com says yes. While the talent may have taken a slight hit, particularly on the offensive line, they still have depth just about everywhere else.
More from Harvey, who looks at the Bengals‘ need at outside linebacker heading into the draft. Harvey graded the likelihood of Cincinnati drafting an OLB as “medium” even after they picked up Dontay Moch off waivers from Arizona and signed free agent Sam Montgomery. Moch and Montgomery previously played defensive end, but the Bengals have listed both as linebackers.

Draft Notes: Browns, Norwood, Allen

April 21st, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Rory Parks

Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater visited with the Browns today, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport adds that Bridgewater will next meet with the Texans.

Bridgewater also had a private workout with the Browns, and as Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal writes, “When all is said and done, the Browns will have privately worked out all the top-rated quarterbacks in the draft and will have had all the top prospects to Berea for a personal visit.” Schudel notes that UCF signal-caller Blake Bortles is visiting the Browns today and tomorrow, Georgia’s Aaron Murray indicated he would be visiting with the team April 22-23, and Fresno State’s Derek Carr will visit April 24.

Of course, Cleveland already worked worked out Texas A&M superstar Johnny Manizel several days ago, and Manziel also plans to “squeeze in” a visit with the Browns later this month. The Browns will meet with Murray again next week in Athens, Ga. Our own David Kipke detailed the wide variety of options that the Browns have when it comes to selecting a QB in this year’s draft, and they have certainly done their due diligence. Now it will be up to Ray Farmer and company to effectively evaluate what they have seen and make the decision that previous Cleveland regimes have been unable to make.

Several quick draft notes:

We learned this morning that Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney were visiting with the Texans today, and Mark Berman of FOX Houston tweets that Manziel was having dinner with head coach Bill O’Brien and his offensive staff, while Clowney was dining with GM Rick Smith and the team’s defensive staff.
Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Alabama WR Kevin Norwood says the Eagles and Panthers have indicated they have strong interest in him.
Tim McManus of Philadelphia Magazine writes that Wisconsin DT Beau Allen could be a fit for the Eagles. Philadelphia’s defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro recruited Allen out of high school while working in the same capacity under Chip Kelly at Oregon, and Azzinaro was present at Wisconsin’s pro day last month. Allen is projected to be a mid- to late-round selection.

AFC Notes: CJ2K, Manziel, Clowney, Texans

April 21st, 2014 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

The specific financial details of Chris Johnson‘s two-year deal with the Jets have leaked, as Aaron Wilson details at the National Football Post. The $8MM contract includes a $3MM signing bonus and a $1MM non-guaranteed base salary for 2014. If the Jets want to keep the veteran running back for a second season, they’ll owe him a $500K option bonus on the 22nd day before the 2015 league year begins. For 2015, Johnson would have a $3.5MM base salary and a $1MM escalator.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

David Climer of the Tennessean wonders if Johnson’s agent was responsible for getting the running back cut by the Titans, since it seems as if he didn’t thoroughly explore the possibility of his client accepting a pay cut. However, Climer ultimately concludes that both sides were probably ready for a change anyway.
Johnny Manziel‘s and Jadeveon Clowney‘s visits with the Texans are happening today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Both prospects should have a chance to make their case to be the first overall pick.
We heard yesterday that the Jets are bringing in cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Darqueze Dennard for pre-draft visits this week, and we can add another name to that list, after Oklahoma State’s Justin Gilbert tweeted that he’ll visit the Jets today. According to Gilbert, he’ll also be visiting the Broncos, Lions, and Falcons.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has already visited six NFL teams, including the Dolphins.
UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr and Wisconsin defensive tackle Beau Allen are visiting the Steelers today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
The Raiders are conducting a private workout for Purdue offensive tackle Kevin Pamphile today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).

Johnny Manziel And The Jags, Browns

April 20th, 2014 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Johnny Manziel is unquestionably one of the most polarizing draft prospects in recent memory, prompting experts to rate him as anything from a first-round, surefire starter, to a mid-round project. Two franchises that could use an infusion of talent at the quarterback position — the Jaguars and the Browns — were recently used as backdrops for discussing Manziel’s attributes, both positive and negative.

Paris Moulden of the Florida Times-Union makes a three-pronged argument in favor of the Jags drafting Manziel, citing Jacksonville’s need for star power, Manziel’s ability, and the need for team to take a risk. While the first two reasons might be valid, I would question whether a general manager like Dave Caldwell, who has been methodical in his attempted rebuild of the Jags, would be willing to use the No. 3 pick on such an uncertain prospect.

Another team with an known interest in Manziel is the Browns, who own the No. 4 pick and a vacancy at quarterback. Ray Frager of CSNBaltimore.com parses the comments of NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell in arguing that Manziel may not make sense in Cleveland:

“You see a quarterback who creates his own problems with what appears to be a lack of understanding and discipline, and then once in a while he makes an unbelievable unstructured play. There’s a sense that he makes it up as he goes, a shoot-from-the-hip element that is so much fun and entertaining to watch. … Entertaining is great for fans and highlight shows, but it’s not a quarterback attribute. A QB cannot live on the edge, play randomly and be consistently successful against NFL defenses.”

Frager notes that it will take awhile for Manziel to develop, and that Browns fans aren’t willing to wait on another developmental quarterback. However, it remains to be seen whether any of the QBs in the 2014 class are immediate game-changers, and the Browns do have Brian Hoyer set as a place-holder at the position. Manizel would be an interesting addition to a Browns team that has several excellent pieces in place, and is still desperately yearning for a quarterback.

AFC Draft Notes: Pats, Broncos, Browns, Ravens

April 20th, 2014 at 8:55am CST by Ben Levine

It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for the Patriots to select a center in the first round, opines ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss. While the Pats may be passing over more talented prospects, it’s likely that top center prospects like Marcus Martin or Weston Richburg won’t be around for the Pats’ second pick. Additionally, we’ve seen examples in recent history that suggest that slightly reaching for a center isn’t a bad decision. Reiss refers to last year’s number-31 pick, Travis Frederick, as well as Tyron Smith and Alex Mack.

Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the AFC…

It wouldn’t be in the Broncos best interest to trade out of the first round, writes Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Klis points to the extra year of contract flexibility the team possesses with their first pick as opposed to a later pick. This played out this offseason, when Eric Decker (who was selected two rounds later than former teammate Demaryius Thomas) received his payday a season earlier.
It wouldn’t be shocking if the Browns select two quarterbacks in the draft, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com mentions in a mailbag. Grossi lists Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel as potential first-round targets.
The Ravens met with wide receiver Martavis Bryant as the combine, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. The former Clemson standout caught 42 passes for 828 yards in 2013.

Draft Notes: Landry, Reilly, Thomas, Hoffman

April 19th, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Peter Sowards

With 18 days until the 2014 NFL Draft kicks off at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, draft-eligible prospects are flying all over the country to meet with teams, and vice-versa. Here are the latest notes and rumors with regard to the upcoming NFL Players Selection Meeting, as it is officially called:

LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry will visit the Jets and Falcons this week, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Landry has previously worked out for the Patriots, Panthers and 49ers.
The Jaguars and Panthers have met with Utah outside linebacker Trevor Reilly, writes Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. Reilly, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, underwent knee surgery in January but healed up well enough to run a 4.66 second 40-yard dash at his pro day March 19.
Rich Tander of CSN Washington looks at the potential fit between the Redskins and Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas.
Finding starters every spring in the NFL Draft is the key for teams hoping to be competitive each season, writes Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
A scouting report of BYU wide receiver Cody Hoffman and his potential fit with the Bears, by the staff at CSN Chicago.
A poll by the Minneapolis Star Tribune asking which quarterback is the best in the NFL draft.
Looking at size, accuracy, arm strength, mobility, decision making, leadership, level of competition and experience, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union breaks down Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr.
Also by the Times-Union, a mock draft of the first two rounds.

Vikings Beat Analyzes Draft’s Top QBs

April 19th, 2014 at 7:16pm CST by Peter Sowards

With just two quarterbacks currently under contract, the Minnesota Vikings most likely will come away from the 2014 NFL Draft with at least one new signal caller. Matt Cassel recently signed a two-year deal with the club, and Christian Ponder is under club control for at least one more season, but neither are franchise quarterbacks. In separate pieces for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Matt Vensel and Mark Craig break down the potential fits of the consensus top-three throwers: Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, Central Florida’s Blake Bortles and Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater.

Vensel separates his thorough profile of Manziel into sections, analyzing Johnny Football’s dazzling play-making ability, his smallish stature, the rock star persona and other potential choices at the position Minnesota may make. Thanks to Michael Vick and other mobile quarterbacks who have had success in the league, Vensel contends that general manager Rick Spielman will have to reconsider the future of the position, which in the past has relied upon the tall, statuesque passers.

Craig looks in depth at Bortles and Bridgewater, speaking to David Gibbs, the University of Houston defensive coordinator who faced the two quarterbacks in consecutive weeks last season.

“I think they’re both going to be good NFL quarterbacks. How good? I’m not a quarterback guru,” Gibbs said. “But neither one of them is going to be a bust. They’re safe picks. In my opinion, because of the way they’ve been trained and coached, you’re not going to get a Ryan Leaf. You’re not going to get JaMarcus Russell. You’re not going to get a guy who just can’t play.”

Gibbs likes Bortles upside, but said he’s more prone to force a throw, whereas Bridgewater is content to check down on third-and-20 rather then turn the ball over.

For Manziel, Gibbs is reticent to give his full endorsement: “I do see him as a risk. And I don’t know him personally. I’m just watching him. He’s doing all of this stuff in college. What’s he going to do when he gets to pro football? You know the lifestyle changes. He’s saying all the right things now, and he should. He’s smart. But I don’t know about him.”

North Notes: Bears, Vikings, Steelers, Browns

April 16th, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, who has already visited Chicago in advance of next month’s draft, believes that he’d be a good fit with the Bears, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I bring a certain type of physicalness to the defense,” Pryor said. “The Bears are already known to be physical. That playmaker ability, that’s what I can bring to the team…. If I get added to the team.”

Here’s more from the NFC and AFC North divisions:

The Vikings have already had a private workout with Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, coach Mike Zimmer, offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner watched Manziel go through a workout on March 27th at College Station that was attended by 30 NFL teams, but Minnesota has also gotten an exclusive look. The Vikings have the No. 8 pick in the draft.
Linebacker Lamin Barrow is visiting the Vikings today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Ravens met with the LSU product back in February.
With the NFL draft three weeks away, much of the pre-draft speculation surrounding the Steelers is whether they’ll take a cornerback or a wide receiver at No. 15. However, Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review argues that their greatest need is at defensive end. Ziggy Hood left the team to sign with the Jaguars this offseason and at last check, the club hasn’t shown any interest in re-signing unrestricted free agent Brett Keisel. Pittsburgh’s only defensive line addition has been former Charger Cam Thomas, who seems better suited to play nose tackle than end.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is set to meet with the Browns next week, a league source confirmed to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter). Murray, who has also drawn interest from the Titans and Cowboys, will work out for Cleveland the following weeks, says Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Due to the philosophy of new head coach Mike Pettine, the Browns are less likely to follow a quarterback-centric model as they build their roster, writes Vic Carucci of ClevelandBrowns.com.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.