Geno Smith arrived at the 2013 NFL draft expecting to be the number 1 quarterback taken and the only one taken in the first round.
A mere 38 picks into the draft and Smith had still not been taken. The Bills were the only team to draft a QB in the 1st round and that was EJ Manuel, despite the general consensus being that Smith was the number 1 QB. The Jets eventually took Smith with the 39th pick – a lot later than he was expected to go.
Could Johnny Manziel be this year’s Geno Smith?
By Jonny Page – @JonnyDraftGeek
Manziel is an intriguing NFL prospect. Nobody is quite sure how to rank him. Some mock drafts have him going number 1 to the Houston Texans yet ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski recently said he wouldn’t even draft him in the first three rounds. Greg Cosell of NFL Films also said that Manziel simply looked undraftable in some games. More reports have come out this week that the majority of the top 10 teams prefer ex-Fresno State QB Derek Carr to Manziel, specifically the Raiders and Browns.
Manziel has been hyped up by the media because of his exciting style of play and a lot of mock drafts have him going as the first QB taken. But NFL teams may view his style of play very differently.
Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles and Carr all may be valued above Manziel because of their ability to throw from inside the pocket and run an NFL-style offense. There is a real possibility that Johnny Football falls outside of the top 10 and past the QB-needy teams at the top of the draft – if this happens there is a high chance he continues to fall until he reaches those same teams again in the second round. Teams won’t want to risk taking a chance on Manziel at the end of the first round because of how impressive the talent in this year’s draft class is. When selecting then you want to know you are picking a future Pro Bowl player. Nobody can really be certain just how Manziel’s game will translate to the NFL and that may put off teams from drafting him in the first.
Last year, there were rumours that the Chiefs may take Geno Smith with the number 1 overall pick until they signed Alex Smith. Many mocks also had Smith going to the Jaguars at two or the Eagles at four. In the end, both the Eagles and Jaguars had two opportunities to draft Smith but still passed on the QB.
There is a chance this year’s Geno Smith will be Johnny Manziel.
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