NFL Draft 2013: E.J. Manuel Wants to Play For Eagles or Chiefs
By Josh Sanchez
Florida State quarterback and 2013 Senior Bowl MVP E.J. Manuel spoke with the NFL Network at EA Sports’ Madden party. Manuel was asked where he wanted to play at the next level and after giving the canned “whoever drafts me” response, Manuel specifically pointed out two teams in the league.
First, Manuel singled out the Philaelphia Eagles because of new head coach Chip Kelly’s offense.
Manuel could excel in Kelly’s system with his versatile skillset and he will likely receive some strong consideration from the Eagles in April.
As for the other team Manuel mentioned, it was the Kansas City Chiefs, who hold the first-overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
The reason for Manuel adding the Chiefs into the conversation is because of head coach Andy Reid’s history of developing quarterbacks. If Manuel wants to be successful at the next level, he will need a good mentor and he feels that Reid could be that man.
Manuel has been a fast riser early in the draft season thanks to his impressive performance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
In a quarterback class with no elite prospect, scouts were waiting to see a quarterback make a move and separate himself from the rest of the group. In Mobile, nearly all of the quarterbacks had lackluster weeks and games, but Manuel took advantage of his opportunity and ended up making some money in the process.
While Manuel may like to play for Philadelphia or Kansas City, he will not have the final say. Any team that is looking for a dynamic young signal-caller could take a serious look at Manuel. If he continues to garner this much interest, Manuel could be off the boards much earlier than anticipated in April’s draft.