LeBron: Johnny No. 1

LeBron James is hoping he's not the only No. 1 overall pick in this picture. (Twitter/JManziel2)

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LeBron James and the Miami Heat are in the middle of a second-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, but that's not important right now. What is important is where LeBron thinks Johnny Manziel is going to go in the NFL Draft.

Lucky for us, a reporter asked James that exact question during a press conference this week.

"Being a huge supporter and friend of Johnny, I want him to go No. 1," James said.

What this means is that LeBron's one-player mock draft has Manziel to Houston at No. 1.

If Johnny Football doesn't end up with the Texans though, James says that's not a problem because Manziel will be successful no matter where he goes.

"If that doesn't happen, wherever he lands, he's going to be a heck of a football player for that franchise," James said. "There going to get a good one. He's a guy that loves to play the game and he plays at a high level."

If you're wondering when and where LeBron and Manziel became friends. The picture at the top of the page was taken in San Antonio in April 2013. The duo took their friendship to the next level in February when they filmed a McDonald's commercial together.

NFL Hot News

Cleveland owner loves Manziel



According to NFL media insider Ian Rapoport, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, "has a love affair with Johnny Manziel." In a report from NFL.com's Kevin Patra, Rapoport states that the Browns owner, "...has made no secret of this, in several conversations, according to people I've spoken with over the last year or so. This is something that Haslam has made very clear to people he speaks with. He's an SEC guy ... He's seen Manziel a ton, he loves the way he plays. Plus, there is the thing that he would fill up the seats."So, does the GM get to be the GM, or does Haslam trump Ray Farmer and make that decision because he signs the checks? We'll know that answer around 7:15 PM ET Thursday night.



Manziel is going to be one of the main stories on Thursday night. He is a potential #1 overall pick, with some experts projecting him going to the Houston Texans. Others have used sound logic when stating the obvious. He's not a prototypical "#1 QB", and teams could pass him up because of the risk in missing. When comparing him to the likes of the Broncos Peyton Manning or the Colts Andrew Luck, Manziel doesn't stack up. But, his intangibles are as good as it gets.Should Manziel go to the Browns with the number four pick, he'll have one of the top wide receivers in the game to throw to in Josh Gordon. He'll also have one of the top tight ends going in Jordan Cameron. Those two players could make it easier for Manziel to develop into more of a passing quarterback, which is one of the concerns on Manziel.While he's being projected to go before fellow quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater, I don't like Manziel as much as either of them when looking at them from a fantasy perspective in 2014. All three should be drafted as backups/bye week fillers in fantasy leagues for 2014.