If Johnny Manziel is drafted somewhere in the top five picks, it won’t be by the Cleveland Browns or the Oakland Raiders.
According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, the Browns are expected to pass on Manziel when they’re on the clock at No. 4. And the same goes for the Raiders picking soon after at No. 5.
Browns won’t be drafting Manziel at #4. I know it’s been out there a ton that they will but no that’s not how they have it
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) May 6, 2014
Don’t know how I can make this clearer for those arguing against it: CLE would take ME over Manziel at 4 & I totally botched the Wonderlic
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) May 7, 2014
And Oakland doesn’t take him at 5 either. Me? Personally? I looooove what he does out there. But I don’t make a pick
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) May 7, 2014
In an appearance on ESPN “SportsCenter” Wednesday morning, Sal Paolantonio said Browns GM Ray Farmer said the team’s “board is wide open,” but is unlikely to go after Manziel.
“I think it’s highly likely they take a quarterback in the first round,” Paolantonio said. “They’ve had 20 different starting quarterbacks since being reincarnated as the Browns in 1999. They’ve got to fix the long-term problem at the quarterback position.
“Johnny Manziel is a lightning rod, a polarizing figure. They are approaching this (draft) with the need for a quarterback, but with some trepidation about picking Johnny Manziel.”
This doesn’t preclude the Browns from nabbing Manziel if he’s still around when they pick a second time in the first round at No. 26. Recently, the Browns have been linked to former Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans with the fourth overall pick.
It seems as if Oakland will also pass on the former Heisman Trophy winner. This echoes a San Francisco Chronicle report from earlier this week that the team isn’t considering a quarterback with the fifth overall pick.
