The first round of the NFL draft was held last night in New York City, and the biggest takeaway for non-hardcore football fans is probably that cultural phenomonenon Johnny “Johnny Football” Manziel, an undersized, hyperactive, smack-talkin’ love-him-or-hate-him quarterback out of Texas A&M, was drafted 22nd by the Cleveland Browns. Before the draft ESPN analyst Jon Gruden was talking up the possibility of Manziel going as early as the first pick, to the Houston Texans, so even the relatively high-profile 22nd slot (more than 200 players will be taken in the draft overall) was something of a disappointment. From ESPN:
Even the NFL’s official Twitter account commented on Manziel’s nationally televised wait. After the Dallas Cowboys became the 16th team to pass on Manziel, the league tweeted: “#SadManziel???”
Despite the slide, Manziel hype isn’t going away: the Browns have a recent history of being very bad at football but also have a lot of fans and some promising young players in addition to Manziel, so the “can a big-talking Texan saves a blue-collar Midwestern football town?” storyline will be very much in effect.
