Mel Kiper ‘had no clue’ what Johnny Manziel would be

The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback, and ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes the franchise could be looking to pick one in the second-round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Kiper acknowledged the struggles of Johnny Manziel and his own failure to predict what would happen to the signal caller out of Texas A&M during a Thursday conference call.

"I had no idea what Johnny Manziel would be. He was one of those guys you roll the dice. I had no clue," Kiper said about his Manziel prognostications at this time last year.

Manziel, taken with the 22nd-overall selection in last year's draft, had a disappointing rookie campaign. In his first start, he was intercepted twice and shutout in a 30-0 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. During Week 17, Manziel threw a party which caused him to miss the team's Saturday walk-through, and led many to question his commitment.

"He could end up being Fran Tarkenton or fall by the wayside. We will have to see if he can get it together off the field, but you have to get a quarterback. You are in a division with Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton. ... I think you have to look at Bryce Petty and Garrett Grayson in the second round. They could be there, and in a few years they could wind up having been deserving of a top-15 or 20 pick."

Kiper continued to speak about Petty and Grayson, who are two of his favorites in the draft. While he has Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston as the only two first-round quarterbacks, Kiper believes both could become quality starters. However, Kiper cautioned the quarterback class is "very weak." saying there are only seven with draftable grades.

"Bryce Petty could be your third or fourth quarterback off the board. I think he's third off the board, his arm really helps. It's kind of a battle between him and Garrett Grayson of Colorado State and Brett Hundley of UCLA."

With Kevin White having one of the better combine of all the participants, there is a sentiment that he could have surpassed Alabama's Amari Cooper on many big boards. The Oakland Raiders are projected universally to want a receiver at the No. 4 spot, giving second-year quarterback Derek Carr a legitimate weapon.

"If Cooper is there, and Todd McShay has him falling to the St. Louis Rams at No. 10, I think there would be a trade. If he gets past the Raiders with Kevin White going there, I could see Kansas City or Cleveland jumping up to get Cooper. You can't just let him fall all the way to the 10th pick."

The ESPN draft guru also talked about an obvious trend over the past few years. With many college teams going to spread offenses which feature three- and four-wide sets regularly, there are more receivers developing NFL abilities. After the famed class of 2014 which included Odell Beckham Jr., Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans and Sammy Watkins, Kiper expects a similar crop again.

Another topic of conversation was the LSU corner Jalen Collins. Many had Collins as a first- or second-round selection going into the NFL Combine last week in Indianapolis. However, Collins improved his stock and became the clear-cut second option behind Michigan State's Trae Waynes.

One of the most interesting cases heading into the draft season is Shaq Thompson. Thompson played a bevy of positions at Washington, including running back, linebacker and safety. Kiper sees Thompson in myriad ways, perhaps helping his draft stock because he appeals to teams with multiple needs.

"Shaq Thompson has the ability a variety of positions, he is a great athlete. ... He's not a pass-rusher though. He could play the WILL linebacker or maybe play as an in-the-box safety like Deone Bucannon played for the Arizona Cardinals last year."

- The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are two candidates to move up for Marcus Mariota.

- Nick Marshall could be coming off the board in the third or fourth round as a developmental corner.

- Inside linebacker Paul Dawson of TCU hurt himself significantly with a 4.93 40-yard dash time. Will need a great pro day to make up lost ground.

- Pass rushers will be abundant in the first round, including Randy Gregory, Preston Smith, Dante Fowler Jr., Leonard Williams, Shane Ray, Eli Harrold and Vic Beasley.

- Believes Randy Gregory, Dorial Green-Beckham and Brett Hundley did not help their stock at NFL Combine.