Johnny Manziel’s NFL Combine Results: How Did He Compare?

Former Texas A&M star and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel’s official NFL Combine results are in. The redshirt sophomore quarterback, who decided to forego his final two seasons of eligibility...
Johnny Manziel’s NFL Combine Results: How Did He Compare?
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  • Former Texas A&M star and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel’s official NFL Combine results are in. The redshirt sophomore quarterback, who decided to forego his final two seasons of eligibility to head for the pros, ran a 4.68 in the 40-yard dash on Sunday and did well in the other drills. Manziel’s speed makes him just a step slower than former number one NFL Draft picks Andrew Luck (40-yard dash time of 4.66) and Cam Newton (40-yard dash time of 4.59). How did the much hyped quarterback, who has been compared to Brett Favre, stack up to other draft hopefuls yesterday?

    While Manziel’s 40 time was solid, he wasn’t quite the quickest quarterback at the NFL Combine, nor did he outdo the competition in the broad jump, vertical jump, or cone drill. Manziel had the fourth fastest 40 time, which put him behind Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, Miami’s Stephen Morris, and South Carolina’s Connor Shaw. In fact, Manziel finished behind Thomas and Shaw in three other categories as well. Check out the results for the top five quarterback performers in each category below.

    40-YARD DASH
    Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (4.61)
    Stephen Morris, Miami (4.63)
    Connor Shaw, South Carolina (4.66)
    Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (4.68)
    Derek Carr, Fresno State (4.69)

    BROAD JUMP
    Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (118.0)
    Connor Shaw, South Carolina (116.0)
    Blake Bortles, Central Florida (115.0)
    Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville (113.0)
    Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (113.0)

    VERTICAL JUMP
    Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (35.5)
    Derek Carr, Fresno St. (34.5)
    Connor Shaw, South Carolina (34.0)
    Blake Bortles, Central Florida (32.5)
    Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (31.5)

    CONE DRILL
    Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (4.61)
    Stephen Morris, Miami (4.63)
    Connor Shaw, South Carolina (4.66)
    Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (4.68)
    Derek Carr, Fresno St. (4.69)

    Manziel had a great showing at the NFL Combine, but will it be enough for some of the questions surrounding him to go away? Even though Manziel is considered a first round draft pick by most analysts–and a top five pick, at that–the fact that Manziel chose not to participate in the passing drills certainly didn’t help questions surrounding his arm strength. Manziel will have to put those questions to rest when he throws for scouts at a workout he has scheduled for late March.

    Manziel’s height has also been a bit of a concern for some analysts, and the quarterback measured in shorter than his height listed at Texas A&M, which was 6’1″. Manziel measured at just under six feet at 5-foot-11 3/4 at the Combine. Of course NFL quarterback Russell Wilson–who just happened to win the Super Bowl–also measures in at 5’11”, so being a little shorter than the average NFL quarterback certainly doesn’t equate to being unsuccessful in the NFL.

    The question of whether Johnny Football is mature enough to handle the NFL is still there, but that isn’t anything that can be answered by a Combine drill. Despite Manziel’s shorter height and not being the fastest quarterback at the NFL Combine as many expected, most would agree that as far as Manziel is concerned, the whole is greater than the sum of his parts. Do you think Johnny Manziel will be a high first round pick in the NFL Draft? Add your comments below.

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