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Johnny Manziel shared what he viewed to be words of wisdom to keep fellow Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield on the straight and narrow path when he enters the NFL. When asked what guidance he'd offer Mayfield, Manziel said the following to NFL.com after Texas A&M's pro day:
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"Quiet the noise," the 25-year-old Manziel said. "The more you can do to stay quiet, the better. He's already a lightning rod, just like I was.
"If I could go back and change things, I would be the biggest homebody, the biggest football-only guy and not do much of anything else off the field because everything else already comes with huge publicity and huge talk. He doesn't have to do anything. If he can do that for a couple of years, then the whole narrative around him completely shifts from a guy who is outspoken and wild and cocky to a guy who's about his business and a guy who cares about his craft and what he's doing."
Manziel's former NFL team, the Cleveland Browns, hold the first and fourth overall picks and the New York Giants have the second selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, which will be held on April 26-28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com has USC quarterback Sam Darnold as the top overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft in his most recent edition of The Big Board. UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen is listed second, followed by Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Notre Dame offensive guard Quenton Nelson and North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb.
Mayfield, who is listed 17th overall by Rang, received heaps of praise earlier this week from coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets. The Jets, who could be eyeing a potential franchise quarterback, moved up three spots to No. 3 and sent the No. 6 pick, two second-round selections in this draft (Nos. 37 and 49) and a second-round pick in 2019 to the Indianapolis Colts in the trade on March 17.
Could Mayfield be that quarterback for the Jets?
"You see the player, and you see the play," Bowles told reporters of Mayfield on Tuesday at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Fla. "You know the guy can play football, and he's a competitor."
Mayfield passed for 4,627 yards and accounted for 48 touchdowns with just six interceptions while leading Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff this past season.
While those numbers were impressive, Mayfield is also linked to some less-than-stellar moments.
He planted the Sooner flag at midfield after winning at Ohio State and tauned Kansas fans as well. Those actions were preceded by a Feb. 25 arrest in Fayetteville, Ark., on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and fleeing, which resulted in a plea deal.
Manziel, who became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy while at Texas A&M in 2012, was selected with the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. Soon afterward, however, Manziel ran into plenty of issues off the field and a lack of NFL success on it.
He played 15 games for the Browns and completed 57 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns, seven interceptions and seven fumbles.
Manziel had significant problems off the field.
He was investigated by Dallas police in 2016 for domestic violence against an ex-girlfriend, but the charges were dropped when he agreed to undergo counseling.
Manziel entered a rehabilitation center in 2015 and was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
He last played in the NFL in 2015 and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League hold his negotiating rights.
