NFL scouts are closely scrutinizing the immature actions of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, especially in light of the recent arrest of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, and have noted he may suffer as a result of his actions.
“He didn’t shoot anyone — unless you count the six touchdowns he scored against SMU. He hasn’t been arrested for beating up his girlfriend,” Mike Freeman of CBS Sports noted. There are no DUIs, battles with the NCAA or scraps with the FBI. There’s nothing crazy happening with Manziel other than the fact he’s a high-profile 20-year-old in a Facebook and Twitter world.”
Like Hernandez, who received the lowest score for “social maturity” on a pre-Draft exam, the Texas A&M quarterback’s recent offseason actions have made NFL scouts worry.
One scout told CBS Sports simply: “Johnny is suffering from being in the Age of Hernandez.”
Freeman, the CBS Sports writer, noted, “It’s unfair and silly, but in the Age of Hernandez, this is how it is. This is how it will be.”
Indeed, whether it is fair, NFL scouts are worrying if Manziel will be able to handle living under the constant glare of the spotlight on a 24-7 basis in the NFL and potentially factor that in while assessing whether he will be a great professional prospect. After the Hernandez fiasco, these off-the-field and maturity issues are things more teams may seriously consider.
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