With the possible exception of Jadeveon Clowney, no player has been as popular a topic of discussion when talking about the upcoming draft than Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, especially when it comes to his potential to be either a boom or a bust as an NFL quarterback.
Count ESPN analyst Merril Hoge as one of those who thinks Johnny Football, despite all the swagger and confidence, will end up being Johnny Bust when all is said and done. Hoge spoke at length on Wednesday’s edition of SportsCenter, and the former Steeler did not hold back at all when discussing how he thinks Manziel’s NFL career will play out.
“I see bust written all over him,” Hoge said. “Especially if he’s drafted in the first round.”
“He has absolutely no instinct or feel for pocket awareness. He has an instinct to run. That’s a bad instinct if you’re going to have that in the National Football League. You have to play in the pocket with traffic around you and throw it. When traffic comes around him he runs, and that’s dangerous in the National Football League.”
“(Manziel’s) skill set does not transition to the National Football League,” he said, “and it’s a big, big risk.”
That’s a pretty harsh assessment from Hoge, and whether or not his prognostication comes true remains to be seen. Remember though, this is the same guy who just last year said Joe Flacco was the best QB in the league , so take Hoge’s comments about Manziel with a ginormous grain of salt.