Johnny Manziel sets record straight on Skip Bayless' viral LeBron James comparison - "Never ever going to be a reality"
Johnny Manziel is considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, and not without good reason.
Before being drafted No. 22 by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, he had been a star for Texas A&M, setting multiple program, conference and NCAA records along the way to becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
And while he had been a polarizing figure due to his partying antics and legal troubles, there was still hope that he would get his act together and become the face of a struggling franchise.
At one point, Skip Bayless even compared him to former Cavaliers superstar LeBron James. But speaking to Shannon Sharpe on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast, Manziel said that it made no sense:
"I honestly feel like I let him down. I remember watching 'First Take' religiously and being able to see him come on there and ride for me when everything was going on. I remember seeing the passion in his voice and the way he was animated when he would talk about me," Manziel said.
"So when I signed, I go to Cleveland and this, you know, 'Johnny Manziel will be bigger than LeBron' like, okay, you got your clickbait. You got your headlines for that week type of thing. And it was never ever going to be a reality."
Johnny Manziel wanted to be drafted by Dallas Cowboys
In the same podcast appearance, Johnny Manziel revealed that his NFL story almost went drastically differently, as he had shown interest in joining the Dallas Cowboys to potentially back up, and eventually succeed Tony Romo. He said:
"I loved Jerry, I loved getting a chance to go to sporting events in that stadium and cross circles with him... to walk into that box and rub shoulders with the honcho, the guy... I remember the anticipation in Radio City when that pick was coming up, and I had my fingers crossed under that table the entire time, 'Please let me go put that star on my helmet.'"
He also admitted that, in hindsight, it was for the best that Jerry Jones instead chose future All-Pro and Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin:
“If you would’ve put me in a landscape that was my backyard… I think it would’ve been an absolute disaster… thankfully, it didn’t happen," Manziel said.
In April 2016, a month after Manziel was released by the Browns, the Cowboys selected Dak Prescott, who would go on to become Romo's successor.