Manziel clocks fast time in 40

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

Johnny Football has more proof that he’s fast.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel’s official 40-yard dash time at the NFL scouting combine was 4.68 seconds. That’s fourth at his position among those who participated in the drill Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. The best was Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, who registered 4.61 seconds.

Manziel is widely considered one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft. Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater did not run the 40. Central Florida’s Blake Bortles ran a 4.93.

Kent State running back Dri Archer posted the fastest official 40 time at 4.26.

Different directions

Bridgewater will spend the next 21/2 months trying to convince NFL scouts he’s the No. 1 quarterback — No. 1 player — in this year’s draft.

Tajh Boyd is just itching to show scouts he’s still the quarterback they once thought he could be.

Yes, the two college stars were on opposite ends of the spectrum at the combine. While Boyd’s draft stock has plummeted over the past four months, Bridgewater’s confidence is booming as he appears to be locking himself into the top 10.

“I feel that I’m the best quarterback in this draft,” he said at his weekend’s NFL scouting combine. “I’m not just going to sit up here and say it, there’s obviously actions that have to back up these words. I’m just going to go out there and prove that I’m the best guy.”

Scouts will have to wait to see if Bridgewater can live up to the boasts.

He never planned to throw during Sunday’s workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium and also pulled out of the 40-yard dash one day after telling reporters he would run.

But that hasn’t hurt Bridgewater yet.

He measured in at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, good size for an NFL quarterback with room to even add a few more pounds. And despite questions about hand size, Bridgewater’s completion percentage and touchdown passes continued to steadily increase each of the past three seasons at the same time his interception totals declined.

Teams searching for a new franchise quarterback, such as Houston, which has the top pick in May, will spend these next 10 weeks trying to determine who to take in this three-man race — Bridgewater, Bortles or Manziel.