Johnny Manziel, as the public has learned over and over again, is not like most NFL prospects.
Manziel’s pro day, like most of the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner’s football activities, was transformed from a simple 65-pass workout into a full-scale television event, produced by Nike, and complete with celebrity attendance, a speech from the key performer and a contemporary soundtrack.
The workout in College Station, Texas, which was televised by ESPN2 and live-streamed to ESPN3.com, featured several other former Texas A&M Aggies putting their skills on display, including Mike Evans, a projected first-round pick at wide-receiver. From the beginning of the day, however, there was no doubt that Manziel was the center of attention.
The 21-year old Manziel drew everyone’s gaze from the very start the day, as he jogged on to the field wearing a helmet, shoulder pads and a rib protector. Most quarterbacks work out in just a t-shirt and short, but for Johnny Football the unorthodox decision was an easy one to make.
“You play the game in shoulder pads on Sundays, why not come out here and do it?” Manziel said. “I’ve never understood why that was a trend. To me, it was a no-brainer when coach [George] Whitfield and I talked about it. Come out here and treat this as a business day, treat this as a game day.”
Manziel worked out while the facility’s speakers blared tunes from the most recent album of the quarterback’s friend, Drake. While the songs being played were explicit to begin with, clean versions replaced the originals once some noted guests arrived on the field.
Midway through Manziel’s workout, former president George HW Bush and his wife, Barbara, rode on to the sidelines in a golf cart, accompanied by their two dogs. Later in the day, Bush tweeted a picture of himself trying on his fellow Texas resident’s college helmet.
Considering the circus-like atmosphere surrounding the event, it might have been difficult to forget that Manziel was there primarily to showcase his throwing ability for NFL scouts, something he declined to do at the NFL Combine last month.
Once the Tyler, Texas native began throwing, however, there was no doubt that he was focused on the task at hand. Manziel threw a set of passes scripted by his coach George Whitfield, a renowned quarterback guru who Manziel has worked with extensively over the last year.
Whitfield ran the workout, not only deciding beforehand the order of Manziel’s throws, but also chasing the quarterback around with a broom to simulate a pass rush and force Manziel to showcase some of the footwork the two had been working on.
While throwing to Evans and fellow Texas A&M alums Ben Malena, Travis Labhart and Derel Walker, Manziel completed his first 42 passes and 61-of-64 overall during the 45-minute workout, including a 65-yard bomb on the money to Evans to complete the display. The final throw was accompanied by an emphatic “Boom!” and a fist pump from Manziel and applause from the audience.
Overall, Manziel’s performance was as impressive as a pro day can be, as he demonstrated what might be the strongest arm in the draft, completing a number of deep balls both on the run and with his feet set. He also tried to lay to rest some concerns over his ability to run a pro-style offense, taking the vast majority of snaps from under center rather than in the shotgun.
Manziel’s mechanics also seemed to be much-improved from the end of his college career, at least according to ESPN quarterback analyst Ron Jaworski.
“He dispelled some of the negative thoughts I had about his mechanics and how he threw the football,” said Jaworski, who had previously said he wouldn’t take Manziel in the first three rounds of the draft. “He was on-balance, he was accurate, there was velocity, and he showed the ability to move and deliver the football. I thought the workout was outstanding.”
At the end of the workout, Manziel again broke from tradition and gathered all of the scouts in attendance, representing 31 of the 32 NFL teams (the Browns were notably absent) to thank them for coming to the workout.
“College Station’s a little bit of a tricky spot to get to,” Manziel said. “For me to call those guys up, just wanted to speak on my behalf as well as the guys behind me and thank them for coming out.”
For most NFL-hopeful quarterbacks, the pro day is simply one part of the evaluation process and doesn’t affect their draft stock in any radical fashion. Even if the same holds true for Manziel, there is no doubt that he made a first impression worthy of remembering on draft day.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
