Cleveland Browns fans certainly are in the midst of “Mazielmania” following the young quarterback’s selection in the first round.
NFL pundits are also unarguably impressed with Manziel. Much of the Draft Day discussion prior to his selection was about “Johnny Football”.
This served to annoy non-“Johnny Football” fans or just fans of football in general who weren’t interested in the hype.
If you happened to be anywhere near social media on the night of the first draft, the reaction to Manziel leading up to his drafting (and after) wasn’t pretty.
The longer Manziel had to wait to be picked, the crueler the jokes got. It was clear that many people were not as impressed with the 21-year-old as you’d expect.
I mean, he did win the Heisman Trophy. He was even the first college freshman in history to do so! Still…haters gonna hate.
Donald Sterling will host the BET awards #BeforeManzielGetsDrafted. pic.twitter.com/y9X385wQA1
— Joe (@furfari) May 9, 2014
In the end, Manziel fell outside of the top 20 draft picks (some were aghast when he fell outside of the top 10) and wound up at the Browns.
It’s anyone’s guess if the young quarterback help turn things around for one of the worst franchises in the sport.
What I do know is that social media can be a hilarious place on Draft Day when people aren’t impressed.
#BeforeManzielGetsDrafted Elmer Fudd will finally get Bugs Bunny #Hunting pic.twitter.com/TwdGjVZnMa
— Powderhook (@Powderhook) May 9, 2014
Why exactly were so many people mean about Manziel? I have a few theories.
First there was the endless pundit praise and absolute obsession the commentators had with him being drafted. He was almost literally the ONLY draft pick that was discussed until he was picked.
It’s as if they didn’t realize that some fans might be concerned with drafted positions that weren’t quarterbacks. Or they didn’t realize that some people either didn’t like or care about “Johnny Football” as much as they did.
Johnny Manziel's night … pic.twitter.com/XgMGhObhNv
— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) May 9, 2014
Then there is the resentment this causes. For a guy so hyped by so-called Draft Day experts, it seemed logical to expect him to be snapped up early.
The failure of this to happen seem to exposure the fact that he was over-hyped in the minds of many. Why should football fans have one unproven player rammed down their throats?
Finally there’s his destination: Cleveland, Ohio.
Johnny Manziel greets @nflcommish on stage after being selected by the @Browns!
WATCH: http://t.co/NOR5cnVrZF #NFLDraft
— NFL (@nfl) May 9, 2014
At one point Dallas, Texas looked like a better and more logical destination.
Despite the decision to make Romo a franchise quarterback, it’s not like he’s led the team anywhere significant. Since the 1990s, the Cowboys haven’t exactly been the team it once was. Still, at least the Cowboys can say it has a winning history.
The Browns? Their last playoff appearance was in 2002. And don’t ask about their trophy room…
Johnny Manziel looking forward to building loyal Cleveland fan-base, then leaving for Miami immediately upon free agency.
— The Fake ESPN (@TheFakeESPN) May 9, 2014
Johnny Manziel told reporters "I'm very excited to have my career ruined in Cleveland"
— Tom Tebow (@IamEvilTebow) May 9, 2014
Maybe Manziel will view this as a foot in the door. After all, if he’s impressive even if his team is not, he may find himself moving onward and upward to a better team.
He may even win back the respect of some of the very same social media users who were doubting him.
VIDEO: Cleveland Browns fans reaction to the team drafting Johnny Manziel. http://t.co/nGh5scxv1S pic.twitter.com/50ss30Xe4J
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) May 9, 2014
Image via Wikimedia Commons
