If recent mock drafts are any indication, Johnny Manziel clearly shouldn't be looking at real estate anywhere in the country until a team turns in a card with his name on it in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Manziel has been mentioned as a possible pick for every team from the Houston Texans to the St. Louis Rams. Even the Dallas Cowboys were mentioned as a possible destination, although NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt shot those rumors down Wednesday.
One team that doesn't appear to be in need of a quarterback but could be a possible landing spot for Manziel is Tampa Bay. The club brought in Josh McCown during free agency, but as they search for a franchise quarterback, perhaps Johnny Football could come into play for the Buccaneers.
"Manziel makes sense there," NFL media analyst Charles Davis said on "Path to the Draft." "I know Jeff Tedford is the new offensive coordinator, and Johnny Manziel doesn't look anything like any of the quarterbacks he's ever coached. He makes sense because they're not exactly sold at the quarterback position by bringing in McCown as a free agent."
Davis isn't quite convinced that the Bucs front office will pull the trigger on Manziel with the seventh overall pick if there's an elite left tackle or a top receiver on the board. In his latest NFL.com mock draft, Davis actually has Tampa Bay going with Manziel's favorite target in college, wideout Mike Evans.
Lovie Smith knows McCown well from their days in Chicago, and McCown will certainly be in line to start under center most of the year. He'll be 35 before the season starts, however, and it's clear that he's not the long-term option. If the team does want to snag its franchise quarterback, the roster does appear to be tailor-made for someone like Manziel going forward.
"I looked at Tampa as a fit for (Manziel). You look at what they have -- a good offensive line and Doug] Martin behind you," fellow analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. "A lot of the detractors of Manziel say all he does is throw the ball up to Mike Evans. Just throw the ball up in the air to [Vincent Jackson -- that could work just as well. I think you can plug (Manziel) in there and give you some exciting plays from the quarterback position.
"I'm not saying that they should do it," Jeremiah said. "They should at least do their homework and have that discussion and consider it."
A few fantasy football owners certainly hope the organization would consider the possibility of a Jackson-Manziel combination on the field every Sunday.
Smith was at Evans and Manziel's pro day in College Station, so it's safe to say the team has done some homework on them. Which direction the club takes when the draft rolls around in May is anybody's guess, but they would certainly drive interest in the Bucs if Manziel is the name on the card when they pick seventh overall.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
