Johnny Manziel on Tampa Bay Buccaneers shortlist
Johnny Manziel walks on the field after running the 40 yard dash during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
We’ve heard rumors that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and new head coach Lovie Smith are high on Texas A&M Aggies product Johnny Manziel and could take him with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and the strongest report linking the Buccaneers to Manziel has surfaced today. Per a league source close to ESPN NFL Nation’s Vaughn McClure, who covers the rival Atlanta Falcons, Manziel is one the “short list of players” that the Buccaneers are considering taking at No. 7.
It’s not surprising to hear that the Bucs are thinking of taking Manziel, and, if true, is indicative of how little faith the new regime has in Mike Glennon, who seemed to be a favorite of the old regime. Not only did they sign Josh McCown and tentatively name him the starter following the signing, but there are also strong whispers linking the Bucs to one of the four quarterbacks in this league’s draft viewed as potential franchise players. I still think it’s more likely that the Bucs go in a direction other than quarterback in the first, but I would be shocked if they don’t take one later on.
I wonder if the Buccaneers are considering another quarterback prospect at seven, because they were also linked to Fresno State’s Derek Carr earlier in the pre-draft process. There have been links made to the Bucs based on his workouts with current offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford and former offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, but lately all of the rumors have circled around Manziel.