USA Today

Following the combine, Johnny Manziel's NFL draft stock is in a downward spiral—said no one in the world except Ron Jaworski.

Speaking to Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic, the ESPN analyst provided some interesting insight when he said he wouldn't take the Texas A&M star quarterback in the first three rounds.



PhillyMag.com's Sheil Kapadia provides the quote:

I'm a big believer in Nick Foles, but who knows? Manziel may fall. I'm not crazy about him, to be honest with you. I've only looked at five games. I wouldn't take him in the first three rounds. That's my opinion. It's incomplete right now. But he has not done a whole lot to me.

Jaworski later expanded on his evaluation of Manziel in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk):

He’s a random quarterback that likes to get out of the pocket and make plays with his legs. In the NFL, he won’t last three games playing that style. He’ll get hurt. He took a lot of vicious hits at A&M in two years, and those hits that have that cumulative effect will knock him out of games in the NFL.

Jaworski's quarterback evaluations are...odd.

As you might remember, he said before the 2013 season that he truly believes San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick "could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever."

And now this.

Manziel is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing athletes on the planet. His playmaking ability, elusiveness inside and outside the pocket and his accuracy throwing the ball are highly impressive, but some are scared off by perceived maturity concerns.

Still, even the biggest critics of Johnny Football can't seriously believe that he's a fourth-round talent.

All four of CBS Sports' analysts predict Manziel to be a top-four pick. In early February, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller slotted him at No. 4. Sports Illustrated's Don Banks put him as the top overall selection.

Manziel himself told the Houston Chronicle's John McClain it would be a mistake for the Texans to pass him over at No. 1.

"It would be the worst decision they've ever made," Manziel said. "I'd be in the same division playing against them twice a year. Sorry, but you just turned that chip on my shoulder from a Frito into a Dorito."

In all likelihood, Jaworski just has a (severe) case of the "exaggerations." He actually meant Kaepernick has great potential, and he actually meant he's not a big fan of Manziel.

No matter which way you slice it, though, Manziel is a special, unique talent deserving of the top-five pick he will most likely receive in May.

And if Jaworski ever says something bad about your favorite quarterback, that's probably a good thing.