With the fourth pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2014 NFL mock draft, the Cleveland Browns select Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. Bighaircut is serving as the Browns' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.
My choices were down to Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Sammy Watkins. Bortles was off the board when my pick came around, so he's not the one. I tend to think Bridgewater is going to be the best QB in this draft and Watkins is going to be the best playmaker, but I ultimately went with Manziel. Why? It's pretty simple. Manziel brings more than just a solid arm, quick feet and playmaking ability to the table. He will automatically be the face of the Browns' franchise, and bring much-needed energy and excitement to a city that has needed just that for the last decade.
Browns fans are really starting to warm to the idea of Manziel being picked. A quick look at Dawgs By Nature reveals many fans becoming quickly enamored with him. It's easy to see why. If you've seen him play, you've witnessed some of the most incredible plays over the past two seasons in his college years. His stats, as a freshman in the SEC, looked like this:
Completion %: 68.0
Yards: 3,706
TD-INT: 26/9
Rush yards: 1,410
Rush TDs: 21
Of course, great college players do not always translate to great NFL players, and his size (6'0, 210) and affinity for scrambling and taking hits will have to change to succeed.
Overall, while I don't think Manziel has the talent to be the fourth pick in the draft, I believe his demeanor, excitement and athleticism make him a perfect fit for the Browns. He is basically the anti-Brandon Weeden, and I doubt Browns fans will hate that at all.
--
Check out the 2014 POD Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.