The draft is only days away and questions still surround Johnny Manziel. Will Manziel do well in the NFL? Is he a franchise quarterback? Has he matured? Many people have yet to still make up their minds about him.
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Well, one man has made his decision about Johnny Football. That man is Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman and he’s not holding back his opinions.
Doleman had called out Vikings GM Rick Spielman the other day, saying he “better get it right this time” with this year’s first round pick, which is number eight overall. According to ESPN.com, Doleman basically said that Spielman should make sure he gets a good quarterback this time around, since it’s obvious that the Christian Ponder experiment didn’t work out, as the team declined to pick up Ponder’s fifth year option and is ready to move on.
Now, what are Doleman’s thoughts on his former team picking up Johnny Manziel? He says pass on him.
Doleman believes Manziel’s a third rounder at best and that the Vikings should not waste their first round pick on this guy. In an interview on Yahoo Sports, Doleman says the former Heisman Trophy winner is not even a second rounder and that he has a lot of problems with the quarterback’s off-the-field antics. Doleman specifically called out Manziel’s club and party lifestyle and that he wouldn’t want to have his quarterback out doing such things and that college life is over. It’s nothing personal, he just thinks Manziel’s not ready to take the next step seriously just yet. And I agree with Doleman. Even Manziel’s Pro Day was a bit of a sideshow.
Many have questioned Manziel’s maturity and here’s a Hall of Fame player saying what he expects from his quarterback and what many also think about Manziel. I like listening to old school football players who tell it like it is. And when a player of Chris Doleman’s caliber speaks up and talks about what it takes to excel at an elite level, people should listen. Doleman didn’t make it to the Hall of Fame by partying in the club every night.
Unfortunately, regardless what Doleman says, ultimately it’s Spielman’s decision on who to pick on May 8.
Now let’s wait and see if Spielman takes Doleman’s advice and passes on Manziel. Oh, the drama.
