In a poll of personnel people around the league, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel comes in as the top quarterback in the draft class. That's the good news for Manziel; the bad news is that 60 percent of those polled think he'll be a bust.
That's the word from Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, who annually polls NFL decision-makers on the draft's top prospects at each position. OF 20 executives asked about Manziel's future, 12 said miss and 8 said hit. Of 17 recently asked to rank the top quarterbacks, Manziel got 8 first-place votes compared to 4 for Blake Bortles and 2 each of Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr. Another vote went to Zach Mettenberger, which highlights how divided most draft watchers are on the quarterback class.
One scout said he doesn't think any of these quarterbacks will be franchise guys. Manziel specifically was compared to Fran Tarkenton by those high on him, and Michael Vick by those less confident in him. "I think he'll have an up and down career like Michael Vick's," an NFC executive said. "Some good. Some bad."
Lately you're hearing more talk that Manziel could be the pick for the Texans at No. 1 overall (Jadeveon Clowney is the other favorite). What seems clear is that people will be guessing right up until the draft.
Which, fortunately, is just six days away.
--Andy Richardson