The Houston Texans' No. 1 choice in the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft is a total wild card. They need a quarterback and there are quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel available. They could also grab a tremendous defensive talent like Jadeveon Clowney.
If they take anyone other than Manziel, Mssr. Football says it will be "the worst decision they've ever made."
"It would be the worst decision they've ever made," Manziel said. "I'd be in the same division playing against them twice a year. Sorry, but you just turned that chip on my shoulder from a Frito into a Dorito."
A couple of things on that quote. One, Manziel was smiling, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Two, it involves a hypothetical where Manziel ends up with the Jaguars. And three, he really seems to have matured since last offseason; I shouldn't even refer to him as John F. Football as that's something he's moving away from.
"I was a kid who made some goofball decisions," Manziel said of last offseason. "That's been part of my journey. Maybe it's part of the whole Johnny Football deal that I'm trying to get away from. I'm trying to show people I've grown up, and I've learned from my experiences. I feel like you're a stupid person if you continue to make the same wrong decisions.
"I don't want to hear, 'Oh, anybody in his situation would have been doing the same thing.' I'm 100 percent responsible for my actions."
The other thing Manziel wants to see 100 percent conviction on is the Texans wanting him to play in Houston if they draft him.
"I want them to say absolutely, without a doubt, with 100 percent certainty, that I'm who they want," Manziel said. "I want everybody from the janitor at Reliant Stadium to the front office executive assistant all the way up to [owner] Bob McNair to say, 'This kid is 100 percent, can't miss. This is who we want being the face of our program. We want the Texas kid staying in Texas and leading the Texans.'"
For as much talk as Clowney generates leading up to the draft, it's hard not to look at Manziel as the most fascinating prospect in the entire draft. He could become a superstar but there's no guarantee that he can easily transition to becoming a quality NFL quarterback.
He clearly believes he can, though, and he's apparently doing a ton of work this offseason to mature into a high-end NFL passer.
Whether or not he actually can remains to be seen. But if the Texans don't take him, they might find out the hard way.
