Johnny Manziel is certainly the most talked about player in the upcoming NFL Draft and one expert is not budging on his expectation that the Houston Texans will take him come May.
This makes two consecutive mock drafts that ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. has projected Manziel to go first overall to the Texans. He added that he shared the Texans' own perceived debate between Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney.
While Clowney would create a huge problem for opposing offensive lines, Manziel's potential as a franchise-leading quarterback is undeniably high. With QB guru Bill O'Brien at the helm, Manziel could transition into the NFL as smoothly as any rookie can.
Thanks to the RGIII trade, the St. Louis Rams will have their pick of top-line offensive linemen. With Sam Bradford already at QB and few other offensive or defensive needs, Kiper and Todd McShay agree that Auburn's right tackle Greg Robinson is the Rams' best fit.
McShay, however, disagrees about the top pick and believes the Texans will take Clowney. He said Manziel would fall to the fifth pick for the Raiders and that the Browns would take Bortles. McShay projected Manziel as the third QB taken overall, after projecting Teddy Bridgewater going to the Jaguars.
Both draft experts agreed all three passers would be top 10 picks, but that Manziel and Bridgewater belong in the top five. While the class may not be as strong as the 2012 class that yielded Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, this year's does have some strong complimentary senior passers who should be available in the middle rounds.
Manziel, Bortles and Bridgewater may be the three must-haves, but passers like LSU's Zach Mettenberger, Fresno State's Derek Carr and Alabama's AJ McCarron all figure to at least be drafted in rounds two through five.
