Is Johnny Manziel the biggest Cleveland Browns draft bust of all time?
A recent article pointed to Johnny Manziel as the Cleveland Browns biggest bust of all-time
Johnny Manziel is quite the polarizing figure, but is he the Cleveland Browns biggest draft bust of all time?
According to NFL Spin Zone’s Hans Themistode’s biggest draft bust from every franchise, Manziel is it for the Browns.
Manziel was drafted by Cleveland with the 22nd pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Coming off a pretty good collegiate career, one that saw Manziel win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman and lead Texas A&M to a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Johnny Football was doing whatever he wanted on the field for the Aggies.
Some felt that he could do that in the NFL, while others felt he was a college flash in the pan. There was a faction of fans who believed he was the ultimate competitor with big upside and some thought he was too small and too cocky/arrogant.
Former NFL head coach called Manziel an “arrogant little prick,” but also called him the best college quarterback he’s ever seen. That was how polarizing Manziel became, so of course, there would be interest from at least one NFL team.
Cleveland drafted him, like others before him, to lead the franchise into the future and turn the organization around. The Browns, much like every team in the NFL have missed on draft prospects, but with his college career considered, Manziel had a ton of hype to live up to.
The hype was very short-lived.
Manziel would play in just 14 games in two seasons with the Browns, making eight starts. He had a 2-6 record in those starts. For his career, he threw for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions, completing 57 percent of his passes. He had a single rushing touchdown.
Not only was he a bust on the field, but off the field as well with various stories of him out partying, especially nights before games. He was also investigated for domestic assault. Two years after drafting Manziel, Cleveland released him and moved on.
This pick proved to be a dud for the Browns, who were influenced by a text from Manziel to then quarterbacks coach, Dowell Loggains. The text read “I want to wreck this league together.” Loggains informed then head coach Mike Pettine who made the call to draft Manziel.
Three quarterbacks were drafted after Manziel that would go on to have much more success, all still in the league, than what Manziel produced. Those three quarterbacks were Teddy Bridgewater (Drafted 32nd), Derek Carr (36th), and Jimmy Garoppolo (62nd).
As for Manziel, he bounced around from the Canadian Football League, Alliance of American Football, and Fan Controlled Football.
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The proof is in the pudding for this verdict as Mr. Themistode is absolutely correct in his assessment. There have been a lot of draft busts for the Browns over the years, but due to how Manziel took the college football world by storm and then how that didn’t translate to the NFL, he is the right pick for this.