Johnny Manziel tells about experiencing 'biggest emptiness' of his life in NFL

• NFL

Johnny Manziel revealed in his Netflix documentary that he experienced the biggest emptiness of his life when he became a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2014. When the Browns took Manziel as the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, they were hoping they were getting a future franchise quarterback.

But Manziel's NFL career went in a completely different direction as the former Texas A&M standout's career in the NFL was marked by off-field controversies. After just 14 games and two seasons, the Browns released Mayfield after the 2015 season.

Mayfield was never ever given another chance in the NFL. "Didn't take me very long to be in Cleveland to find out that I wasn't going to be happy there. I had every single thing that I could have ever wanted. You have money, you have fame, you're a first-round draft pick battling for a starting quarterback position.

And when I got everything that I wanted, I think I was the most empty that I've ever felt inside," Manziel said in Netflix's Johnny Football" documentary. Erik Burkhardt, who was Manziel's agent, revealed that the Browns would call him and complain that the quarterback wasn't watching any tape.

"Their GM's calling me going, 'He doesn't watch tape.' I'm like, 'Well he's gotta watch some tape.' He's like, 'EB, his iPad hours is 0.00,'" Burkhardt said. Manziel confirmed Burkhardt's comments by stating: "Zero."

Mayfield on feeling empty during his time in the NFL

At one point, Mayfield was in such a dark spot that he "didn't want to have anything with football." Also, Mayfield admitted that he was struggling with some other non-football issues at the time.

"I would sit in my condo in Cleveland downtown and just feel like it was the only place that I could get away from everybody and anything. And I would look out those windows every day and I just felt empty. I went from one fishbowl city to another, and I wanted nothing to do with football I wanted nothing to do with stepping on that field.

And I had bigger issues in my life than being able to go out and play free-spirited, flowing football. I had gone from the whirlwind ride of 2012 in College Station, the Heisman Trophy, the Cotton Bowl, the NCAA investigation, straight into another season, into the NFL draft.

I just didn't get a break," Manziel said. After the NFL, Mayfield played in the Canadian Football League and AAF. Last week, it was reported that Manziel was opening a bar in Texas.