Joel Weckerly
Danieal Manning’s final start as a football amateur could be Saturday afternoon.
The 2001 Corsicana High School graduate and projected first-day pick in the 2006 NFL Draft will start at cornerback for the West squad in the 81st East West Shrine Game Saturday.
The Shrine Game — an annual college football all-star game that supports Shriners Hospitals for Children — will kick off at 3 p.m. at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
Historically, the game features mainly Division I players, but Manning — an Abilene Christian University product — and North Dakota’s Chris Kuper are the only Division II players featured in this year’s game.
The West team will be coached by Texas A&M;’s Dennis Franchione. Some of Manning’s teammates include Aggies quarterback Reggie McNeal, Texas tight end David Thomas and UCLA quarterback Drew Olson.
The former Tiger football standout began practicing with these Division I stars this week, and immediately noticed the difference in speed from Division II.
“When I was at Abilene, there might have been one fast wideout and a couple slow ones,” Manning explained. “But here, the whole receiver corps was fast.”
Manning was invited to play in the game about three weeks ago, and said he was shocked when he first found out. Peter Clarke, Manning’s legal adviser and general counsel out of the Houston-based Coast 2 Coast Sports Management, said the right to play in the Shrine Game is a big honor for a player on any collegiate level.
“We’re talking about some guys who are pretty well known,” Clarke said. “This is not a game where you just have the also-rans or the mediocre players. You have several guys here who are going to get drafted.”
Manning, of course, is counting on being one of those draftees selected in the seven-round NFL Draft, which is set for April 29-30 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.
If Manning is drafted, he will be the second pick out of Corsicana High School in three years. Wide receiver Bethel Johnson, who went from the Tigers to Texas A&M;, was selected by the New England Patriots with the 45th pick (second round) in the 2003 NFL Draft.
“That’s crossed my mind several times,” Manning said. “It’s an honor to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Bethel. He’s a great player, and hopefully our paths will cross in our careers.”
After completing his junior season at Abilene Christian last fall, Manning announced on Dec. 28 that he would forego his senior year and enter the draft. He said he wanted to see what he could do at the next level, but Clarke added that some of Manning’s frustrations also led to the decision.
“One of the things he discussed was how teams knew about him,” Clarke said. “He was no longer a secret; teams wouldn’t kick or throw to him. His ability to help his team win was diminishing, and it frustrated him.”
Manning chose agent Russell Hicks and the low-profile Coast 2 Coast to represent him (he’s one of just three clients), shunning away the flashy suits with the larger client base.
“(Hicks) gives me a chance and I feel like I’m giving him a chance,” Manning said. “I’m from a small town and I went to a small school. All the roads I’ve taken have been small, so this fits. He’s working hard for me, and I didn’t want to just be another number to somebody.”
He certainly produced enough numbers of his own during his three-year tenure at ACU, where he was named some type of all-American 11 times.
In 2005, Manning returned 19 punts for 243 yards (12.8 average) and one touchdown. He returned 13 kickoffs for 349 yards (26.8 average) and one score, while picking off three passes for 47 yards (15.7 average) and a touchdown.
In 2004, he returned 15 punts for 330 yards (22.0 average) and two touchdowns. He returned 13 kicks for 380 yards (29.2 average) and one score, while adding three interceptions.
In 2003, he returned 23 punts for 211 yards, seven kicks for 251 yards (35.9 average) and one TD, and recorded six interceptions.
That freshman season came after a two-year layoff from football. As a senior for the Tigers in 2000, Manning recorded 67 tackles, three interceptions (two returned for scores), five fumble recoveries (one for a TD), 10 pass breakups and three blocked kicks.
“Hard work and persistence leads to success,” Manning said. “Right now that’s standing true. I’m accomplishing a lot of my dreams right now. Not too often do you hear about D2 players playing in this kind of all-star game.”
While playing at a Division II school hindered some of his recognition early in his career, people began to take notice.
“One thing I learned a long time ago, is if you make plays, they will find you,” Clarke said. “That’s in fact what happened with Danieal. He made plays and played at such a high level that word got out. It didn’t really matter that he was at Abilene Christian.”
Manning played safety in college, but because of his unmatched speed, many draft boards are listing him as a cornerback. In “Scott Wright’s Draft Countdown” (www.nfldraftcountdown.com), for example, Wright ranks Manning as the No. 11 cornerback in the draft, behind such notables as Florida State’s Antonio Cromartie and Texas’s Cedric Griffin.
Griffin and South Carolina’s Jonathan Joseph are ranked 9 and 10, respectively, and are both considered “Day One Picks” by Wright. Manning’s draft stock isn’t listed, but considering that No. 12-ranked Darrell Hunter out of Miami is a first-day pick, Manning should be as well.
Additionally, Manning is Wright’s No. 1 “Sleeper” out of his top 25 choices. On NFLDraftblitz.com, he is described as an intriguing choice: “At this point I’d guess that perhaps one in 25 football fans have ever heard of this kid, but to me, Manning is the most interesting declaration to date...”
So interesting, in fact, that draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. listed him as the fifth-ranked safety in ESPN Insider. He’s slated behind a notable quartet in Texas’s Michael Huff, South Carolina’s Ko Simpson, Ohio State’s Donte Whitner and Syracuse’s Anthony Smith. Behind Manning are 5a, 5b and 5c: Purdue’s Bernard Pollard, Texas Tech’s Dwayne Slay and Nebraska’s Daniel Bullocks, respectively.
Since his declaration, Manning has been training feverishly in Houston with three different coaches — a position coach, a speed coach and a strength and conditioning coach. His results have been impressive; Clarke said his slowest 40-yard dash time was 4.4 seconds, and that was following a workout.
“He’s what some would call a freak of nature, because he’s 210 to 220 (pounds) but he runs a 4.3 40,” Clarke said. “We anticipate him running one of the top five speeds at the combine of anybody there, probably.”
The combine he refers to is the NFL Scouting Combine, which will be held Feb. 22-28 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Manning is expected to receive an invitation, considering the rapid interest that has surrounded him since he arrived in San Antonio last weekend.
But Manning said he’s not worried about not receiving a combine invitation, and already has tentative plans to perform at the Longhorns’ Pro Day in Austin. While he’s there, he’ll be able to flex his talent alongside big-name DBs like Huff and Cedric Griffin.
“If I can show the scouts I’m as good as them, then I can increase my draft chances,” he said.
During his free time between practices for the East West Shrine Game, Manning has been interviewed by scouts of more than 20 NFL teams. Some of them have interviewed him two and three times already, and a number have told Clarke he will definitely be one of the guys on their draft board.
“Some NFL teams have said they want him to play cornerback, because truthfully he has cornerback speed,” Clarke said. “You don’t see safeties run a 4.3. Maybe a 4.5, 4.6, but not a 4.3.”
One team’s scout even approached Manning with the idea of starting in their defensive backfield.
“He asked me what position I would like to play, and I told him that I was comfortable with safety but I have the speed and ability to play corner,” Manning said. “He told me that I could come in and start for them at safety.”
Manning’s secondary position might waver, but he will most likely be utilized as a kick and punt returner if he successfully makes the professional leap.
“I doubt any team is going to want to take (special teams) away from his game. They’ll want to capitalize on what he did in college because he excels so well at it.”
Clarke said Saturday’s game will be a perfect arena for Manning to transform from a sleeper into a big-name player.
“We’re very excited for Danieal, but we’re not surprised because we believe in his ability and we know what he can do,” Clarke said. “But it’s a good thing for the rest of the world to see up close and personal what he can do.”
And while Manning might not have been accustomed to this kind of exposure in the past, he knows it’s time to get used to it. Saturday could prove to be the first step in a chain reaction of events that lead him to a professional career, and he’s going to milk this dream for all it’s worth.
“I’m thankful and I’m glad that God has blessed me with these opportunities,” he said. “It’s going to be a long road from here, but it’s starting to reveal itself.”
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Joel Weckerly may be contacted via e-mail at jweckerly@corsicanadailysun.com
