5 do-overs of the Johnny Manziel selection in 2014

Derek Carr was selected to the Pro Bowl in his second season in the NFL. Let that sink in for a second.

Carr, who was selected 36th overall by the Oakland Raiders, is helping turn around a franchise that has struggled for a long time. The franchise part sounds familiar to Browns fans, but the young quarterback turning things around is something only found in dreams.

Taking Manziel instead of Carr is mind-boggling. This is easy to say in hindsight, but fans shared similar opinions when the draft was taking place. Carr was a pro-style quarterback who seemed NFL ready, compared to Manziel who was the prototypical college quarterback who found success just because of athleticism.

Oakland is lucky to have found such a talent, and are being rewarded by Carr’s consistency. He has started all 32 games in his two years as a Raider, throwing for a total of 7,257 yards and 53 touchdowns in that span.

The Raiders did go 3-13 in his first season, but improved to 7-9 in 2015. This is the exact opposite of the Browns, who surprised everyone by going 7-9 in 2014, only to drop to 3-13 in 2015.

This is not entirely due to Manziel, but Carr proved that solid quarterback play is the first step to helping turn a team’s fortunes around. By starting every game, the Raiders could spend time focusing on other positions that needed improvement.

Carr should continue the turnaround in Oakland, while the next player on this list should do the same for his team.

Next: Teddy Bridgewater