Cleveland Browns Draft rumors: Kyle Shanahan praises Johnny Manziel
By Jack Crosby
In six days the Cleveland Browns will have to finally decide in which direction they will go with their fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft. With the quarterback position in Cleveland up in the air at the moment, there is a good chance that the team will decide to ultimately take that road when their number is called, and should they do that, it’s also speculated that the pick will be Johnny Manziel.
Recently in speaking to the media on Thursday about the possibility, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan spoke rather highly of Manziel and disagrees with the naysayers that believe Johnny Football’s talents won’t translate to the next level.
“It’s obvious how good of a player he is, how fun he is to watch,” Shanahan told Cleveland.com. “I think it does translate to the NFL. If you can make those plays in college, you can do it in the NFL. The one thing about the NFL, there’s a lot of tape out there. You’ve got to be able to do everything.”
Shanahan was then asked about the recent meeting he had with Manziel and he spoke positively of his character as well.
“I enjoyed him,” said Shanahan. “It was my first time meeting him. I got to go out to dinner with him a couple times, great guy, fun to be around and easy to see why people like him.”
With two picks in the first round and the talent pool at the position said to be very deep, there is a chance that the Browns could pass on taking a signal caller with that first selection and just wait until later, possibly for a falling Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr, whom the team has also spoken highly of in the past.