Jon Gruden on Manziel: 'Johnny has a lot of magic to him'

The Houston Texans are wrestling with a potential what-if nightmare with the No. 1 pick in next month's NFL draft.

What if they pass on Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel, and the small-town Texas gunslinger with the big-play improvisational magic turns out to be the next Brett Favre?

Jon Gruden, who recently worked with Manziel for his Gruden's QB Camp television series on ESPN, says the former Heisman Trophy winner has a rare skill set you don't want to regret passing up.

"It's a big concern," Gruden, the former Super Bowl-winning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told USA TODAY Sports. "Johnny has a lot of magic to him. There's not a more exciting college football player I've seen in the last few years."

Gruden, who worked with Favre as a Green Bay Packers assistant from 1992-94, says of the nine quarterback prospects he interviewed and worked out, Manziel stood out.

"I had more fun with Manziel than I did most guys," Gruden said. "I'd love to have him. It takes courage to pull the ball down and reverse field and do some of the crazy things that Favre and Manziel do. There's going to be consequences when sometimes it doesn't work out. But it takes a tremendous amount of guts and courage to go make a play when there's nothing there instead of throwing the ball away."

Gruden also compared Manziel to Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, who would improvise and run often early in his career. With some polish and direction, Gruden believes Manziel could also have a bright future in the NFL.

"This kid (would have had) two years left in the NCAA," Gruden said. "So if you get him with a quarterback coach or anybody that aspires to be a quarterback coach and spend the time teaching this kid NFL defenses and your system, I can't imagine Johnny not being successful."

Senior Bowl executive director and Alabama football radio analyst Phil Savage doesn't think Manziel is in the No. 1 overall mix for the Texans.

Savage believes Houston is more likely to choose between the perceived best talent in this draft, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, or Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles.

"After the way Clowney worked out at his pro day, they have more of a chance potentially to be able to trade out," Savage told USA TODAY Sports. "That's probably their No. 1 goal — to be able to slide down, making it a little more reasonable to be able to take Blake Bortles. That's the quarterback I think they like best.

"I don't think Manziel fits the profile of a Bill O'Brien quarterback."

Gruden believes Manziel is a dynamic playmaker who would fit O'Brien, and the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator would be the right coach to reign Manziel in as a more disciplined pocket passer.

Gruden called Manziel out on his Johnny Football quarterback image and believes Manziel is sincere about distancing himself from that bad-boy celebrity perception and will work hard to be great.

"Nobody is perfect, but you certainly don't want your quarterback flying around during the week. You don't want to read about your quarterback in the newspaper every day of the week," Gruden said. "I think he's learned a lesson, but he's got to prove that.

"I mean he ran for 1,400 yards in the SEC. He's got big hands and big feet and he's got more guts than most guys have."

Just one more evaluation for the Texans brain trust to chew on with the draft just three weeks away.

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Follow Jim Corbett on Twitter @ByJimCorbett