Johnny Manziel, Michael Sam have top selling rookie jerseys

Jadeveon Clowney may have been the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but he is not No. 1 in terms of jersey sales. In fact, the No. 1 jersey seller belongs to none other than the No. 22 overall pick Johnny Manziel, who was selected by the Cleveland Browns.

This is according to a report by Darren Rovell ESPN, who also passed along news that the No. 2 overall rookie jersey sales belonged seventh-round pick Michael Sam.

Michael Sam made headlines and history these past few months for being the first openly gay football player to declare for the NFL Draft. He made further history when he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the 249th overall pick in the seventh-round this past weekend.

Manziel’s jersey sales were likely expected. During his time in college football, Manziel was one of the most highly publicized and scrutinized athletes in the world. Throughout that time, Manziel grew a legion of fans that spread much further than just Texas A&M. Manziel brought the media circus throughout the draft process, and will likely bring it to Cleveland as well.

The ESPN report stated that Manziel’s jersey sold almost as many as Robert Griffin, Andrew Luck, and Tim Tebow in their draft weekend’s combined. Although the exact number was not disclosed, that is quite the haul for Mr. Manziel.