Johnny Manziel Must Continue to Fight Criticism as Doubters Grow Louder

Johnny Manziel isn't afraid to speak his mind. While most prospects attempt to say all the right things in an effort to avoid hurting their draft stock, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Texas A&M is speaking out in an effort to bolster his own.

Since Manziel is such a polarizing prospect it's impossible for him to avoid the spotlight. Even something as simple as his measurements at the NFL Scouting Combine lead to a firestorm. And things like that will continue right up until draft day.

He checked in at a shade under six feet at the combine. Although the league is less than a month removed from Russell Wilson leading the Seattle Seahawks to a championship at 5'11'', Manziel was questioned about his lack of prototypical size.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provided his response:

That's the perfect answer to those type of questions. It contains equal parts "Johnny Football" flair, which is part of the allure when it comes to him as a prospect, and truth. He had two outstanding college seasons without what some would consider ideal size.

Room for criticism of Manziel certainly exists. He isn't as polished of a pocket passer as some of the other quarterbacks battling to become the first one off the board and will need to learn to protect himself at the next level, as many mobile quarterbacks have found out.

There's no reason to believe he would be a significantly better prospect if he was a half-inch taller, though.

The height situation is not the only point of contention. The critics of Manziel are starting to let their opinions be known.

Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine passed along comments Ron Jaworski of ESPN made to Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic and said the quarterback wouldn't be worthy of a selection inside the first three rounds based on his film study so far:

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I'm a big believer in Nick Foles, but who knows? Manziel may fall. I'm not crazy about him, to be honest with you. I've only looked at five games. I wouldn't take him in the first three rounds. That's my opinion. It's incomplete right now. But he has not done a whole lot to me.

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Glenn Moore of Cleveland.com talked with an unnamed NFL starting quarterback, who said Blake Bortles is the player at the position teams should target if they want to build a winning team, not Manziel:

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One current NFL starting quarterback, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Cleveland.com that if an NFL team wants to win, it should take the taller and bigger Bortles in the upcoming draft.

"If you want to win, you don't draft (Johnny) Manziel. You draft (Blake) Bortles."

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A lot of the early buzz is coming out of Cleveland because that's one potential landing spot for the dual-threat quarterback. The Browns are certainly in need of an upgrade at the position, but it's unclear which of the options may be available at No. 4.

Once again, Manziel isn't afraid to speak up for himself. Ahead of the combine he did an interview with John McClain of the Houston Chronicle and said he can be the player who ends the Browns' run of poor quarterbacks and brings the franchise a Super Bowl:

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If something happens, and it's the Cleveland Browns, I'm going to pour my heart out for the Dawg Pound and try to win a Super Bowl for Cleveland. I don't care if they've had 20 starting quarterbacks since 1999. I'm going to be the 21st and the guy that brought them the Super Bowl.

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The comments don't come off as a prospect simply trying to bolster his stock, either. Judging by everything people have seen from Manziel since he became a household name with the Aggies, one thing he doesn't lack is belief in himself.

That isn't going to change now, which is a good thing. The critics are likely to continue growing louder as the draft inches closer, evaluating both his on-field performance and his off-field persona, as reasons why teams should pass on him early in the first round.

Manziel must continue to respond because his confidence is one of his best intangibles. That goes for both public comments like he's been doing and when he meets with teams individually leading up to the draft. Now's not the time for him to go silent.

Making matters more interesting, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk points out, is the fact the Texas A&M quarterback is one of the toughest players in the class to evaluate:

Manziel could go to the Houston Texans with the first pick, and it's hard to imagine him sliding beyond the Minnesota Vikings at No. 8. His college playmaking ability and immense upside make him worth the risk for a quarterback-needy team.

That said, it wouldn't be a total surprise if he didn't develop into a superstar at the next level. The talent is there, but it's no guarantee he'll ever put everything together.

Looking ahead, the one thing Manziel can't afford to lose is his edge. He's at his best when he's playing with a chip on his shoulder and the critics are sure giving him a lot of motivation already.

He'll get a chance to show teams some progress during his pro day, which is certainly important when it comes to the final evaluations in a very close race with the other top quarterbacks.

But while he tries to walk the walk, he should continue to talk the talk as well, to make sure the doubters don't dominate the conversation.