Feb 21, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. has finally seen the light and taken former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel out of the top spot in his mock draft.

OK, so maybe Kiper isn’t coming around to Ron Jaworski’s opinion that Manziel is a third round pick or even undraftable, but the recent flurry of free agent signings and movement of quarterbacks around the league has given the ESPN Dean of Hair reason to drop Manziel a number of notches.

Previously Kiper had maintained that Manziel was going to go number one in the 2014 NFL Draft to the Houston Texans, but his analysis has taken a bit of a turn, as he has moved Johnny Football down to number eight, a pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

From Kipers mock draft 3.0:

As I talk to teams, I get the sense there’s a great deal of uncertainty around the quarterbacks in this draft. But there’s a point where uncertainty turns into a reasonable bet, and Manziel at this point on the board is closer to the latter. There are some decent weapons in place in Minnesota for Manziel. There’s a great deal of uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball here, but it doesn’t outweigh the questions at QB. Manziel could be the solution and, drafted here, there’s no question he’d come in with a chip on his shoulder. – Mel Kiper, Jr. on QB Johnny Manziel

I’m sure Vikings fans are going to be just thrilled with this prediction, as if they haven’t already had their share of “project” or uncertain arms at quarterback.

Check here for Kiper’s complete mock draft 3.0 list