NFL Top Player -- EJ Manuel

 
 
EJ Manuel 
#3 QB
Buffalo Bills
Height: 6-4   Weight: 237   Age: 24
Born: 3/19/1990 Virginia Beach , VA
College: Florida State
Experience: 2nd season
High School: Bayside HS [Virginia Beach, VA]

Drafted in the first round (16th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft … The third quarterback ever selected in the first round by the Bills (Jim Kelly – 1983, J.P. Losman – 2004) … is the eighth player from Florida State in Buffalo draft history … The fourth player ever selected by Buffalo with the 16th overall pick.

Early life

Manuel was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He attended Bayside High School Virginia Beach, where he played for the Bayside Marlins high school football team. His father, Erik, was childhood friends with NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith. In 2004, as a freshman, he started at quarterback and threw for 589 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as rushing for 219 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore, he recorded 1,332 passing yards and eight touchdowns as well as 276 rushing yards and six touchdowns. As a junior, Manuel threw for 1,973 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 345 yards and five touchdowns. In 2007, as a senior, Manuel passed for 1,859 yards, 18 touchdowns and rushed for 541 yards. He was considered a five-star recruit by Scout,a four star recruit by Rivals and both sites, as well as Sports Illustrated,listed him the second best quarterback. He was an All-American quarterback in high school.

College career

Manuel enrolled in Florida State University, where he played for coach Bobby Bowden and coach Jimbo Fisher's Florida State Seminoles football teams from 2008 to 2012. While he was a student, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

NFL Draft prospects

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks projected him as a top five quarterback heading into the 2013 draft and compared him to Josh Freeman.While Manuel possesses the blue-chip physical characteristics, work ethic and leadership qualities necessary to be successful at the NFL level, he has been faulted for somewhat inconsistent play at times during his college career.

Manuel was the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.Manuel was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the draft, a draft that was seen as especially thin at quarterback (the Bills, who originally drafted eighth and had a great need for a quarterback, even traded down to obtain more picks); Manuel was drafted ahead of higher-profile quarterbacks such as Matt Barkley and Geno Smith, as well as Ryan Nassib, who had played under Bills head coach Doug Marrone when Marrone coached the Syracuse Orange.

2013 season

On June 14, 2013, Manuel signed a four year contract with the Buffalo Bills.The deal is worth a fully guaranteed $8,885,300.00, including a $4,852,036.00 signing bonus evenly spaced out annually ($1,210,509.00) over the next four years. His salary in 2013 will be $1,615,509, $2,019,386 in 2014, $2,423,264 in 2015, and $2,827,141 in 2016.

Manuel made his professional debut on August 11, 2013 during the preseason against the Indianapolis Colts. During his debut, Manuel completed 16 out of 21 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Manuel underwent an operation on his knee to remove fluid buildup after the second game of the preseason and it was unsure if he would be ready to start by Week 1 of the 2013 season.[18] On September 4, Doug Marrone announced at the team meeting that Manuel was confirmed to be the starter for Week 1. In week 1 Manuel completed his first live NFL game touchdown to fellow rookie Robert Woods, on an 18 yard end zone strike. In the second week of the 2013 NFL regular season, on September 16, 2013, Manuel engineered his first victory in the league with a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown march to bring his team from a six point deficit in the fourth quarter with seconds left in the game. With the Point-After-Touchdown (PAT) the Buffalo Bills went on to post the win over the Carolina Panthers 24-23. Manuel was voted the "Pepsi Next NFL Rookie of the Week" for his performance.

On October 3, 2013, during the third quarter in a game against the Cleveland Browns, Manuel sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. The injury caused him to miss 5 weeks of the season.Manuel had an up and down rookie season, but was given a vote of confidence by coach Doug Marrone as he was announced as the starter for the 2014 season.