NFL Draft analyst blasts ‘prima-donna’ Manziel

A certain draft analyst had not-so-nice things to say about Johnny Manziel. (USATSI)

Nolan Nawrocki was an NFL Draft analyst with Pro Football Weekly before the publication closed last year, and he has developed a reputation for slamming potential top picks in his player evaluations.

He wrote this about Cam Newton before the 2011 draft: "Very disingenuous -- has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law -- does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room."

Then, last year, he slapped Geno Smith with this label: "Not a student of the game ... Not committed or focused -- marginal work ethic."

So, it makes sense that we should shine a light on some of Nawrocki's latest criticism. After all ...

Ah, Nolan Nawrocki. This is your annual moment.

— Alessandro Miglio (@AlexMiglio) February 17, 2014

Writing for NFL.com, here's what Nawrocki had to write about Johnny Manziel.

"Suspect intangibles -- not a leader by example or known to inspire by his words. Carries a sense of entitlement and prima-donna arrogance seeking out the bright lights of Hollywood. Is known to party too much and is drawn to all the trappings of the game. ... Has defied the odds and proven to be a great college-system quarterback, but still must prove he is willing to work to be great, adjust his hard-partying, Hollywood lifestyle and be able to inspire his teammates by more than his playmaking ability."

Nawrocki also had interesting things to say about South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney ("Is still immature and finding his way -- too much of a follower.") and Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla ("Overly emotional and prone to outbursts following a dysfunctional childhood that offered little direction and much confusion related to a divorce.").

So, take all that for what it's worth (though he appears to have been wrong about Newton and Smith). And lest you think I'm trying to bash Nawrocki -- because I'm really not, even though I think the Lyerla criticism really isn't very nice -- I'll include what Mike Mayock said last year about the analyst.

"When he puts that out there, there's no agenda. He's not trying to bash Cam Newton or Geno Smith. This is the feedback he's getting from scouts and what he believes based on his tape study. Does that mean it's right or wrong? No. We have to minimize that a little bit because scouts can say a lot of things to get their opinions out there for their own vested reasons ... [But] I would bang the table for Nolan Nawrocki."

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Ravens want to get RB Ray Rice back on track, but they won't forget about RB Bernard Pierce either



Ray Rice really struggled in 2013. Perhaps he never fully recovered from a hip injury suffered in Week 2. Perhaps he simply wore down after a four-year average of 347 touches per season. You could definitely put some blame on his offensive line. Whatever the reason(s), offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was very clear on what Rice still means to the Ravens' offense: "I think as he goes, we'll go," Kubiak told the team's official website. "... We've got to get him going. That's the bottom line."However, Rice won't be alone in the backfield work. Kubiak said "it's hard to hand it to one guy 30 times a game; they just get worn down." That's where Bernard Pierce comes in. While Rice could muster just 3.1 yards per carry this season, Pierce was even worse -- 2.9 yards per. But Kubiak wants to get him involved, similar to how he used Ben Tate to take some of the burden off Arian Foster with the Texans.



Pierce had 152 carries this season. Tate never topped 190 in any of his three seasons with Kubiak. So, Pierce might still an uptick, but Kubiak would probably like to give Rice 300-plus touches if possible. Therein lies the rub. Is it possible? Can Rice handle another year with a large workload? He is only 27, but there is a considerable amount of wear on his tires. And yes, that offensive line needs work. Plus, I thought the Ravens were interested in actually adding a running to this picture?Whether Rice's body is up for the challenge, and if this season was really the beginning of the end for him are concerns that will surround Rice's draft stock through the summer.