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Johnny Manziel, Jadeveon Clowney under combine pressure

"The M&M Super Bowl Special" on NFL Network featuring Michael Irvin and Marshall Faulk veered toward the NFL draft just long enough for a quick segment about which draft prospect will be under the most pressure at next month's NFL Scouting Combine.

And the M&M quiz went straight for the stars.

"It has to be (Johnny) Manziel, after how he started off the year with all the stuff about taking the money for signing autographs, going out and partying," Faulk said. "But the one thing I love about what Manziel showed us was, when it was time to play football, he played football. But he's going to have to answer a lot of questions."

Manziel is among a handful of quarterbacks considered potential top-10 picks. He relies on his athleticism more than any of them, however, which means the combine results may reveal a bit more about his pro potential than as a pocket passer.

Irvin went with South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney for his choice, and harkened back to Clowney's season-opening performance against North Carolina, in which he appeared to be winded at times.

"How do you know the whole offseason that you are a Heisman Trophy hopeful, and everybody is gunning and looking at you, then you step on the field in the first game, and you (gasp for air). Are you serious?" Irvin said. "You've got a billion dollars waiting on you, and you're out here (out of shape)."

Suffice it to say, Irvin won't want to hear an "I was tired" excuse from Clowney if his combine results don't meet the expectations that Clowney himself has built.

Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.

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