Vikings rapt observers at Manziel's Pro Day

The Vikings are very interested in Johnny Manziel.

Manziel had his pro day at Texas A&M today, and by all accounts, he acquitted himself well. The Vikings were represented by GM Rick Spielman, coach Mike Zimmer, offensive coordinator Norv Turner and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner.

NFL.com reported the Vikings contingent would be having dinner with Manziel tonight and would then have formal meetings with him tomorrow.

When asked about Manziel's performance -- which came before a large crowd that included former President George H.W. Bush -- Zimmer told Charean Williams of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram: "It was different. It was a different workout." Because of the crazy atmosphere, Zimmer also told Williams it was a "sideshow" and that the Vikings would have a private workout with Manziel that wouldn't be choreographed, as Pro Day quarterback workouts tend to be.

Williams reported there were eight NFL head coaches and eight NFL general managers in attendance.

Coincidentally, the Vikings have the eighth pick in the draft.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported every NFL team was represented by someone except the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears.

Manziel told the NFL Network: "My main thing is I'm not scared of anything. I don't play that way. Why come out here in a scripted workout and be scared of anything? Throw the pigskin around and let's have fun. This was a football player's dream."

He completed 61 of 64 passes during the workout, ending with a 60-yard bomb.

The Plain Dealer also quoted Norv Turner, who was the Browns' offensive coordinator last season. Said Turner: "I think coaches and scouts want to see a quarterback physically throw the ball. You get to watch game tape and see how he plays. This guy is an amazing player, and then you see his physical skills. It just helps to see a guy in person . . .

"Here's the deal: You only get so many opportunities to evaluate a player, and to not use every single one of them makes no sense to me. We're going to exhaust every opportunity to evaluate a player. You get an opportunity to meet with a guy, and who knows what will come out of that? It might be something good . . . If you're allowed to do these things, it makes sense to do them."

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle had some interesting observations.