Athletic. Dynamic. Playmaker. Cocky.
Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
Those are just a few of the many words that describe the former Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel.
Sure, to play quarterback, you have to have a certain amount of intelligence, but “top Wonderlic scorer” was a phrase that I never would have thought to be associated with Manziel.
According to John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout and current San Francisco radio host, Johnny Football scored the highest Wonderlic score among the quarterbacks at this year’s NFL Combine.
Middlekauff tweeted the following:
I've been told Johnny Football had the highest wonderlic test of all the top QB's in this years draft
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) April 10, 2014
Talked to multiple assistant coaches who have had Johnny on private team visits. All raved about his intelligence.
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) April 10, 2014
The avg wonderlic score for a starting QB in '12 was 29, anything above 30 is outstanding. Johnny scored above both numbers
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) April 10, 2014
So apparently Johnny Football scored above a 30. Not bad. If this report is true, then Manziel scored higher than last year’s NFL MVP and top quarterback Peyton Manning, who supposedly scored a 28.
Of course, this is just one test and one element to grade Manziel by. There’s still questions about his size and the bigger concern, his maturity. As we’ve seen lately, NFL teams are willing to part with players with great talent if they raise even the slightest eyebrow about any off the field trouble. Just look at what the Philadelphia Eagles did with DeSean Jackson. Despite the Eagles never really saying why they released him, everyone assumes it’s because of his potential baggage.
And just today, Colin Kaepernick was reportedly being investigated by the Miami Police involving an incident with a woman earlier this month. It’ll be interesting to see how that story plays out and how the 49ers handle it.
If Manziel is able to convince and show teams that he’s ready to take on the role of a franchise quarterback and can stay out of trouble, then he may be worth the risk. He seems to be doing a lot of things right, as of recently. And with the recent poor pro days of some of the other quarterbacks in the draft, it just makes Manziel standout just that much more.
Oh, man. How I’d hate to be in the Houston Texans’ shoes right about now.
They have a lot to think about.
