Johnny Manziel Combine Reaction

Johnny Manziel started off his combine experience by measuring out to be just a quarter of an inch shy of 6 feet. However, if recent memories serve us well, Drew Brees won the Super Bowl in 2009 and Russell Wilson is coming off of a championship as well. Hieght has proven to not be a huge factor and Manziel is not very far off from six feet. Also, given his skill set of being able to buy time with his feet and get out of the pocket, he does not need every inch the way a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning do. Something people seem to gloss over is Manziel’s hand size. He measures in at 9 and 7/8 inches. Those are huge hands and is huge when coming into the NFL with inclement weather that can affect the grip of the ball.

     One thing the Combine did not measure was Manziel’s heart and drive. It is well documented by the Manziel haters that he “parties” too much and has too many extracurricular activities. What those people don’t mention is how he has reached out to Tom Brady and many others to get mentally prepared. And he also showed out at everything he did at the Combine. 

     It is also unfair to fault him for opting out of the throwing drills. If you look at it from a quarterback’s perspective, throwing the ball has a lot to do with timing and a rapport you build with your receivers. Manziel would be throwing to guys he has never played with and that would throw his timing off, specifically on deep balls. Looking at this, haters would just bash him for his inaccuracy. We saw this last season how an elite quarterback like Tom Brady struggled because he couldn’t get his receivers on the same page. That was after an entire training camp and much into the season. Manziel will throw at the A&M Pro Day to his fellow teammates and that is the right thing to do.

     Overall, the Combine definitely helped Manziel’s stock. In my opinion, he should be the number one overall pick. With Houston having a great defense, the offense is the missing piece to them contending. Imagine Manziel slinging it to Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins while handing it off (or running the read option) with Arian Foster! Watch out Indianapolis, there is a threat in the division!