Wow. We knew that Johnny Manziel's Pro Day was going to be a big deal. But for whatever reason, we didn't know that it was going to be this big of a deal.
Even though ESPN didn't create an entire show based around Johnny Football's big day, they did devote the better part of an hour on SportsCenter to watching Manziel throw passes to his receivers and then talking about and critiquing every single thing that he did on the field. From the fact that he wore pads and a helmet during his Pro Day—which is not something that quarterbacks typically do during Pro Days—to the fact his quarterback coach George Whitfield Jr. was out there on the field with him using a broom to simulate a pass rush, ESPN dissected Manziel's Pro Day like no other Pro Day before it. And people definitely responded to it.
LeBron James was impressed with what he saw:
Just finished watching my bro @JManziel2 pro day!! Don't take him if u want 2. He's a flat out STAR! Accuracy on point! #StriveForGreatness
But he wasn't the only one watching. There were lots and lots of other people watching, too. And those people were tweeting about it so much that #JohnnyManzielProDay, #ManzielProDay, and A&M were all at the top of Twitter's U.S. trending topics list at one point. Here are some of the crazier observations that people made during Manziel's Pro Day:
I know its a pro day. But he looked better than the other two w/ his pads and helmet on. He's going to prove everyone wrong. #ManzielProDay
The broom guy has no sacks, 4 QB pressures. #ManzielProDay
What this #ManzielProDay coverage needs is an "And 1" hype man. "Miiiike EEEEEVENNNNNS!"
Perfect deep passes. No more arm strength complaints, please. #JohnnyManzielProDay
@JManziel2 absolutely destroyed his Pro Day. Has to be the #1 pick for the Texans. #JohnnyManzielProDay
I had no idea everyone on Twitter was a scout. #MindBlown #ManzielProDay
Johnny Manziel is a 2.0 version of Archie Manning #JohnnyManzielProDay #49ernation
Manziel's shorts were nasty! He definitely turned some heads today coming out in pads and all. #JohnnyManzielProDay
Hard to say if Johnny Football is the BEST qb in this draft, but that was a really impressive pro day. Best so far. #ManzielProDay
What am I missing? Arent you SUPPOSE to ball out on your pro day? #JohnnyManzielProDay did what he was suppose to do. Killed vs whom? Staged
More people are in attendance for Johnny Footballs's pro day than every Florida panthers game combined #JohnnyManzielProDay
Jonny Football will end up being the best QB in the draft simply because he wants to prove all the haters wrong #ManzielProDay
Not a fan of him being an @nfl franchise QB. Saw him in quite a few games don't think he's a 1st round pick but he will be. #ManzielProDay
You know why #JohnnyManzielProDay wore his pads and helmet today? Cause he's tiny and his pads and helmet mask how small he is. Smart move.
Breaking News: Four members of @espn crew reportedly Spontaneously Combust out of pure joy of being at #JohnnyManzielProDay
Looking forward to the #49ers trading a 6th round pick for Johnny Manziel to be Colin Kaepernick's backup in three years. #ManzielProDay
I think Johnny Manziel shut up everybody today with a impressive pro day. #JohnnyManzielProDay
Manziel is real.......... (enough said) #TheRegime Johnny
I thought Manziel was having a pro day today, how come no one's talking about it on twitter? #ManzielProDay
Can you imagine what's going to happen when this guy is actually, you know, playing in the NFL? The world ain't ready.
UPDATE:
In related news, Jon Gruden is comparing Manziel to Steve Young. And as you might expect, that's not sitting well with some people:
comparing Manziel to Steve Young is a slap in the face to number 8
Alright people lets cool it with the Steve Young/Johnny Manziel comparisons!
Steve Young is not a small man. Gruden needs to get new contact lenses.
Gruden's QB Camp with Manziel airs tonight on ESPN.
RELATED: An Educated Guess at How Johnny Manziel Is Spending His 21st Birthday
[via Twitter]
