Johnny Manziel answers questions after being picked by the Cleveland Browns. Source: AFP
THERE’S every chance you haven’t heard of Johnny Football.
A tiny quarterback with a huge reputation, Manziel (that’s his real name) was supposed to be selected among the top picks in Friday’s NFL Draft.
But teams kept passing on him. And kept passing on him.
Manziel’s demeanour gradually got worse and worse and the tweets and memes got better and better.
Then, finally, someone took a punt.
With the 22nd pick overall, the Browns announced Johnny Football would be taking his talents to Cleveland.
That’s when the story got even better.
The Browns paid $100,000 for an expert analysis of which quarterback to draft, but took a hobo’s advice instead.
This is not the actual hobo, in case you were wondering.Source: Twitter
During the ESPN broadcast of the Draft, reporter Sal Paolantonio related a bizarre story he heard from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.
“Here in Cleveland, everywhere I go, people know me,” Haslam told ESPN, “and I was out to dinner recently and a homeless person was out on the street, looked up at me, and said, ‘Draft Manziel,’ just like that.”
And that is what convinced him that Browns fans wanted Manziel, who is projected to sign a 4-year contract worth $8.25 million.
Manziel also copped grief for making the money sign. Source: AP
The hype around Manziel has been immense.
In 2012, he became the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football. On Friday, he became the first quarterback under 6ft tall to be drafted in the first round since 1953.
But the question marks are just as big.
“Is he The Next Big Thing, or is he too small?” wrote The New York Post’s Steve Serby.
“Is he a star in the making, or the football Ringo Starr?
“The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, but no one in the NFL knows for sure.”
One thing we already know is LeBron James is on board.
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