Hoge: Manziel Will Be a Bust

When it comes to sharing an blunt opinion on NFL players, ESPN analyst Merril Hoge is your man.

Hoge has no problems blasting players. Just ask Tim Tebow. Hoge was one of the first analysts to say that Tebow was not a good NFL prospect. Ring that one up on his side of the ledger.

Now, Hoge has passed his verdict on Johnny Manziel, and it's not favorable.

He says Johnny Football will be a flop.

"[Manziel] has absolutely no instinct or feel for pocket awareness. He has an instinct to run. That's a bad instinct if you're going to have that in the National Football League. You have to play in the pocket with traffic around you and throw it. When traffic comes around him, he runs, and that's dangerous.

"His skill set does not transition to the National Football League, and it is a big, big risk. In fact, I see bust written all over him, especially if he's drafted in the first round."

Damn, now that's harsh.

Hoge isn't the first analyst to say that Manziel would be a bust, just the latest. It's going to be a debate all the way until draft day, though. Stuff like this is probably being repeated in the Houston Texans' war room already:

Ron Jaworski basically said the same thing as Hoge about Manziel a month ago, and no one really cared. But when Merril Hoge says it, you'd better listen.

Hoge may come off as a hater, but give him credit for providing specific reasons for his opinion. Whether or not you agree with him, you at least understand at where he's coming from.

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