Since the New England Patriots inexplicably traded quarterback of the future, Jimmy Garoppolo, midway through the 2017 season, there has been wild speculation as to who should be next in line behind Tom Brady. The draft is still weeks away, but the team has been active in scouting current quarterbacks as they try to find the heir to the throne.
The current wild speculation of the day has former Cleveland Brown quarterback, Johnny Manziel, heading to New England, according to NESN.
The team has been seen twice in the last week scouting and meeting with the former Heisman winner at his pro-day workouts.
Although Manziel has been out of the league for the past two seasons due to drug and alcohol-related issues, there is growing excitement that the beleaguered player may have finally got his act together. If he can help a team win games, somebody out there will sign him. Will that team be New England?
Brady the mentor
A big factor in whether or not Manziel could succeed in the post-Tom Brady era relies on Brady himself. If Brady can stick to his plan of playing three to five more seasons, that could be enough time to groom Manziel into a competent starting quarterback.
Manziel is still young, at only 25-years-old. The time he's lost being out of the league basically makes him a rookie if he were to make it onto a roster again. Serving for several years behind the greatest quarterback of all time could be just what he needs to learn and then take over.
The Patriots had that very succession plan play out already with Jimmy Garoppolo, so there's no reason they can't reset the timeline and do it again. The only issue the last time around, was that Tom Brady is defying logic and continuing to play at an MVP level when most assumed he would have retired by now, back when Garoppolo was drafted.
Position change
It is possible that Manziel could find his way back into the league as a wide receiver, but the prospect seems unlikely.
His size makes him comparable to some of New England's current receivers, but that's about all that Manziel has in common with them.
For this to work, Manziel needs to be able to play to his strengths. That means sticking at quarterback, but also learning how to play the position at the professional level.
He had shown some flashes of being a pretty good quarterback during his brief time in Cleveland. If he does get back in the league, a team like New England would be the perfect landing spot to bring out the best in his game.