Quarterbacks are always high profile, but this guy is different. Playing at one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, and breaking records left and right. He’s the face of the national media, and is considered to be a game changer. He’s only overshadowed at his position by the quarterback that just won the national title, but that guy isn’t a player in the draft this year. The quarterback is considered as one of the best in the draft and many believe he could be the number one overall pick in the draft. The consensus is he’s at least a top ten pick, and many people believe that Cleveland will use their top ten draft pick to choose him. A quarterback jumps off the board before him, but no one is really shocked. But when the first ten picks are done, and he’s still sitting in the green room, the slide begins. Twenty picks slide by and still no sign of the end of the slide. With the 22nd pick, a team with a quarterback that just has established himself as a starter over a guy who’s been in the league as a starter before decides the don’t need this quarterback or anyone of the top on the board. They trade to the Cleveland Browns and they take the second quarterback off the board, a guy thought to certainly go in the top ten, and bring him to Cleveland (where QB careers go to die).

You may be shocked to realize that this story was written about Brady Quinn in 2007 and not Johnny Manziel in 2014. The similarities are there, at least in that chapter of their story. No one in their right mind would compare Johnny Manziel to Brady Quinn as there are very few similarities (except for the paragraph above), but the differences are the very reason I want to compare them. These two quarterbacks show a shift in the thinking of the NFL and the media surrounding it in the last seven years. Manziel could be the next Brady Quinn, but for different reasons. Just think about it.

Brady Quinn was the stereotypical quarterback. Clean cut, good looking kid, who came from a good looking family and went to a high profile school (Notre Dame). A 4-star and the 10th best quarterback out of high school, he was destined for greatness according to the Notre Dame fans and many college analysts. He went to Notre Dame and lifted Charlie Weiss’s career to an early peak. He broke many records at Notre Dame and finished 3rd in the Heisman in his final year at Notre Dame. In those two years, he had shown some potential in the pro-style offense that Charlie Weis ran. However, he had showed some weaknesses too. The draft pundits were amazed at things like his pocket presence, his appearance, his ability to let the play happen; and they were not necessarily wrong about those things. However, in today’s age he would be criticized as a game manager. However, as we see every year, the coaches know more than Mel Kiper. He slipped down to the 22nd pick because he had some kinks to work out. The Browns, desperate for a quarterback, took on a project with the hope they could make him great. That slide could be attributed to many things, but mainly that appearances aren’t everything and even though he was a prototypical quarterback and a “wonderful passer”, he had sloppy mechanics and needed some serious work. His ability to perform at the NFL level was questioned, mostly because he was so prototypical.

Johnny Manziel is anything but stereotypical at the quarterback position. A little rough around the edges and seemingly always in trouble. Just a 3-star and the 22nd best quarterback that year, he chose to go to Texas A&M for his career. No one even knew who Manziel was until he stormed onto the scene as a super athlete. He exploded on the scene with a persona larger than life, and Johnny Football became a legend. He upset #1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa when they looked unbeatable and proceeded to win the Heisman as a freshman. In his sophomore campaign, he once again dazzled, making plays that looked like they were off of a video game. All the while staying in the media for reasons that had to give his head coach Kevin Sumlin headaches at night. Manziel was the eye of pundits and fans eyes because he was so exciting. He would slip out of the pocket and break tackles before bombing it downfield to a receiver waiting to receive it. Everyone expected him to go high because of his speed, elusiveness, and play making ability. However, the slide could be attributed to his sloppy mechanics, but moreso that he didn’t manage games well, created bad situations, and tried to do too much himself. He certainly wasn’t Brady Quinn, but he is still a project.

I give you these two examples to say this. The NFL and the perception of the quarterback has drastically changed in seven years. The Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel effect has settled into the mindsets of people everywhere, but it hasn’t changed the game that much. Michael Vick was the original experiment with this type of play, and it sort of worked. But he was super exciting to watch, no one would argue that. As the game has progressed, quarterbacks have made more and more video game plays and it has changed a few things about the perceptions of the position.

• In 2007, the Brady Quinn year, how often was the term game manager used about a quarterback? The very thing that made Brady Quinn so illustrious, is the reason that AJ McCarron is criticized. The quarterback is no longer expected to manage the game and progress it by using his teammate playmakers, but to be a playmaker himself and turn something out of nothing on a routine basis.
• In 2014, height is only a number. It used to be that 6’0″ was the magical threshold and failure to meet it doomed a quarterback. Just ask Troy Smith, 2007’s closest version to Manziel who plummeted from a 2nd-3rd round pick to a 5th round pick because of his combine height under 6’0″. You can think 6’0″ Drew Brees and 5’11” Russell Wilson for helping this, but now height isn’t an indicator of quarterback success. A 6’3″ man can’t see over a 6’7″ line any better than a 6’0″ man can. However, quarterbacks don’t have to be big (though it doesn’t hurt in Blake Bortles case).
• The new quarterback position is ok with a little rougher around the edges. Johnny Manziel is no clean cut Brady Quinn (who’s no Tim Tebow), but he’s an alright guy. He may be cocky, but that’s his game style. Big Ben brought that into the league, but quarterbacks have become increasingly brash over the years with Manziel being the pinnacle. Quinn was praised for his calm demeanor and Manziel is coveted for just the opposite.
• Another benefit for quarterbacks today, is the ability to not lose yards. If a quarterback can spin out of pressure and dump the ball, that’s 8-10 yards saved on any busted protection. This used to not be as big a concern, and it was more concerning that your quarterback didn’t get hurt. Sacks are drive killers though, and as defensive lines have increased the pressure and blocks have been moved out to create wide receivers, quarterbacks have more work to do on blitzes and mixed pressure packages.

So, it’s interesting to see how two quarterbacks that share a similar draft day story actually represent the new quarterback position. Slow quarterbacks that just drop back and pass no longer work. You can’t only have a 3 or 7 step drop and fit all the plays in with that. With the read option, play actions that involve the quarterback, and more options to get out of the pocket, mobility, playmaking, and decision making have all become important tenets of the quarterback position. This is just the beginning. While there will always be a place for the Peyton Manning type quarterback in the NFL, a version of Peyton Manning that could run a 4.6-40 yard sprint and add a little juke is just that much more elusive, in both sense of the word.