College football player Johnny Manziel recently had his official workout for the annual drafts of the NFL teams, and it drew attention from former president George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara, and Texas governor Rick Perry.
During the workout held Thursday, the Texas A&M University quarterback threw for 75 officials representing 30 teams.
Manziel, known to students and fans as “Johnny Football,” entered the facility with his receivers and a Drake soundtrack that blared over the building. In true flashy Manziel form, the quarterback arrived in full gear, wearing a black jersey with his number 2 on the back, camouflage shorts, shoulder pads, and a helmet.
Our boy @JManziel2 put on a clinic today! Check out the photos here: http://t.co/S4YBVZteXi #AggieFBLife pic.twitter.com/mlkbeCIQC2
— AggieFBLife (@aggiefblife) March 28, 2014
Evaluating Johnny Manziel’s performance in Pro Day workout
The shoulder pads and helmet caused quite a stir, but Manziel said that it was a no-brainer. According to him, players wear the shoulder pads in Sundays games, so “why not come out and do it?” Manziel said that he was “going for perfection” when he threw 65 passes to six receivers. Only two were not caught. Sixteen NFL general managers and head coaches watched the workout. General manager Rick Smith and coach Bill O’Brien liked what they saw, but admitted that the workout was just one step in the long process of drafting.
New York Jets’ Michael Vick and Miami Heat’s LeBron James also complimented Manziel on his skills.
George Whitfield, who runs a quarterback training academy, ran the workout and was impressed with Manziel’s competitiveness. Manziel and Whitfield have worked together through Manziel’s career and have spent the last two months training in California.
Manziel worked under center and did throws of varying distances, both in the pocket and on the run. Whitfield added some challenges to prove that “we didn’t have anything to hide.”
Whitfield on Manziel
After the workout, Manziel called all the NFL officials and personally thanked them for coming. That afternoon, he met several teams to discuss future plans.
Image via YouTube