Florida State QB E.J. Manuel has worked out for the Bills coaching staff in a private session. And he visited One Bills Drive a couple of weeks ago. But his connections with the Bills franchise don’t end there.
Manuel is a product of Virginia Beach, Virginia, the same hometown as Bills Hall of Famer Bruce Smith. And Manuel says he’s had a longstanding relationship with Smith over the years.
“Bruce is basically my godfather,” Manuel said Friday night, in an appearance on The John Murphy Show. “I’ve known him since I was pretty much a baby. He’s been very involved in this process and when I was in college, giving me a lot of things, and telling me just to enjoy the process.”
The process has been lengthy for Manuel, starting with his work as the Offensive MVP at the Senior Bowl in January, continuing with a strong showing at the Combine in Feburary, and then private workouts and pre-draft visits to several teams, including the Bills.
But he tells host John Murphy he’s looking forward to the payoff–being introduced by Roger Goodell as a first round draft pick on April 25th. He’s one of 23-players invited to attend the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
“That was one of the bigger goals for me going into this pre-draft process, to get the opportunity to be at Radio City Music Hall for the draft,” he said. “And whenever my name is called, to get a chance to go up and shake Roger Goodell’s hand, that will be a memorable time in my life. I may still be wiping tears from my face, I’m so excited about it.”
Manuel is also excited that his mother, who has been battling cancer, will be able to attend the draft in New York in two weeks.
“She’ll be there,” he said on the radio show. “She still has to get radiation. She’s been working the last two or three weeks and she’s doing a lot better. I’m extremely proud of my mom.”
The entire interview with QB E.J. Manuel is available at Buffalobills.com\johnmurphyshow
