LeBron James spotted wearing Johnny Manziel Cleveland Browns jersey

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LeBron James was spotted wearing a newly minted Johnny Manziel Cleveland Browns football jersey on the Miami Heat team plane, in a picture posted to Twitter by Miami Dolphins receiver Brian Hartline. James and his Miami Heat are on their way to New York City to continue their playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets, but LeBron found a way to give a shout out to his friend Manziel in the process.

Just where did LeBron James get a Manziel Browns jersey just half a day after Cleveland took him in the draft? The number on the jersey may be a hint. Because Johnny Football was taken in the first round last night, he was presented with a Browns jersey with a number one on it, even though the NFL Store revealed today that Manziel will be wearing the number two. In other words, LeBron likely got the jersey directly from Johnny himself, though it may or may not have been the same one given to him by roger Goodell last night.

LeBron James and Johnny Manziel have become friends, leading some to wonder if the latter can lure the former back to Cleveland. But for now, LeBron is busy working on his third straight NBA championship with the Heat.

NFL Jerseys: Jadaveon Clowney Texans #90, Johnny Manziel Browns #2

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Like clockwork, jerseys for the biggest names in last night’s NFL Draft are already available from their respective teams’ online stores. That’s also required those players to have already chosen their jersey numbers for the upcoming season. Jadaveon Clowney has decided he’ll wear number 90 for the Houston Texans after becoming the first overall pick of the draft. And while Johnny Manziel fell far beyond the number two pick before ending up with the Cleveland Browns, he’ll be wearing jersey number 2 for the upcoming season. That is if nothing changes between now and then.

The trick for draftees choosing their jersey numbers is that they don’t know which team they’re headed to until their name is called, and their preferred number may not be available on that team. If the Texans already had someone else wearing jersey number ninety, Clowney would have had to quickly pick another number - and once chosen, those jersey numbers usually remain intact for the remainder of that player’s time with that team. However some players do end up changing jersey numbers during camp, sometimes because a high profile veteran signs with the team and wants to wear the same number they had with their last team. Cash transactions have sometimes been known to settle jersey number disputes.

But don’t look for Jadaveon Clowney to change his #90 jersey, or for Johnny Manziel to change away from #2, as there are already too many people buying those jerseys today, and a subsequent change would upset those enthusiastic fans. The NFL jerseys for Clowney, Manziel and others are available now in the NFL shop and are generally selling for about a hundred dollars apiece.

Johnny Manziel drafted by Cleveland Browns at #22 in NFL Draft trade

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Johnny Manziel has been drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the number twenty-two pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, which they acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles via trade. Manziel had fallen all the way to the #22 pick, and even the Browns themselves passed on him with their early first round pick. But after an evening in which ESPN and the NFL Network showed a sullen Johnny Manziel in the draft room more than just about anyone else other than Roger Goodell himself, Johnny Manziel has indeed become a Cleveland Brown.

The addition of Johnny Manziel to the Cleveland Browns likely spells the end for Brian Hoyer’s stating job. If Manziel isn’t the starter at the beginning of the Browns 2014 season, he will be by the end of it.

Cleveland Browns fans at the draft appeared to be jubilant at the selection of Johnny Manziel when it was announced.

Johnny Manziel, Derek Carr: Cowboys, Cardinals, Browns, or Raiders

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Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr are still on the board as the first round of the NFL Draft 2014 goes into its second hour. The pair of quarterback prospects are sweating it out, hoping to be taken before the first round ends. The four most likely teams to take one or the other are the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Oakland Raiders. Neither will be the first QB taken in the draft, as Blake Bortles went to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the number three pick. So where are Manziel and Carr really going?

The Cardinals have Carson Palmer under center, but he’s near the end of his career, and still hasn’t shown for certain if he’s the answer in Arizona. If they take one of the two, they’ll play it safe and take Derek Carr. The Cowboys already have Tony Romo at quarterback, but when it comes to owner and general manager Jerry Jones, you never know for sure what he’s going to do. If Dallas does take a quarterback, it’ll be Johnny Manziel due to his high risk high reward ratio fitting in line with Jones’ affinity for rolling the dice.

The Cleveland Browns already passed on both Manziel and Carr with their early pick in the first round, but could circle back and take one or the other with their late first round pick - although they already have Brian Hoyer as a serviceable quarterback on the roster. The Oakland Raiders are searching for a new starting quarterback after shipping Terrelle Pryor out on Tuesday - and Manziel, who is perceived as arrogant, could fit right in with the silver and black.

Houston Texans first round pick 2014 NFL Draft: three ring circus

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The Houston Texans have the first overall pick in tonight’s NFL Draft, which is surprising enough considering that they’ve typically been playoff contenders. But after a season in which everything collapsed, their first round pick tonight represents an opportunity to put things back together. But in an even bigger surprise, there is no consensus this year as to who should go number one - or even a consensus on which quarterback should be at the top of the board. That means the Texans are facing a three ring circus tonight, with three viable yet risky options in front of them.

The first option for the Texans is to take high risk, high reward quarterback prospect Johnny Manziel and hope he turns out to be the franchise quarterback for the next decade. But if he goes bust, the team’s GM and coach are as good as fired in two years, because the team won’t be able to win without him as there is no viable Plan B at quarterback on the roster. The second option is to take Jadaveon Clowney, who is also a major risk due to character and effort concerns, but could be perceived as the safer route - though that’ll still leave Houston with no quarterback. The third option is to trade down for a pair of later first round picks so they can get a quarterback and defensive help.

Who will the Houston Texans take with their first round pick in tonight’s NFL Draft 2014? Start time and TV info can be found here.

Houston Texans number 1 draft pick 2014: Clowney vs Manziel vs trade

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The Houston Texans have another week and a half to figure out what to do with the number one overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, with three primary options in front of them. The first is to make Johnny “Football” Manziel their franchise quarterback. The second is to bolster their defense with Jadaveon Clowney. And the third is to trade the pick down in the hopes of using it to acquire multiple first round caliber players and booster both sides of the ball in the process. Here’s a look at all three options and their odds of happening:

Johnny Manziel

The Texans have no roadmap on their roster at quarterback, so if they take Manziel, he instantly becomes the franchise quarterback. That means Houston can only take him if they truly believe he can become a franchise caliber quarterback. His small stature, multi faceted playing style, high intelligence, and outsized ego all make him a high risk high reward prospect. If they take him and he flops, everyone involved gets fired. But if they pass on him and he succeeds elsewhere, the Texans will look just as foolish. The team may have no choice but to roll the dice on Manziel. But if they don’t…

Jadaveon Clowney

By some measure of coincidence, the top prospect in the draft who’s not a quarterback also comes with character concerns and a high risk high reward ratio. Clowney is a once in a generation defensive talent, but he was also accused of taking plays off at South Carolina and skipping entire games just to avoid injury. If the Texans are going to roll the dice with the number one pick, it’s more likely they’ll do it at quarterback, which means Manziel. But there is a third option.

Trade down

Trading down isn’t sexy, but if Houston doesn’t have enough faith in Manziel or Clowney to make either one the top pick, they could net a boatload of lower picks in a trade. The Rams used this tactic with the number two pick two years ago, and added half a dozen players to their roster in exchange for the pick that Washington ended up using on Robert Griffin III. By trading down, the Texans could pick up a later first round pick and use it on one of the other top quarterback prospects.