Troy Aikman surprised Dallas Cowboys passed on Johnny Manziel
By Josh Sanchez
When the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, many believed that owner Jerry Jones would not be able to resist the urge to draft Texas A&M star quarterback Johnny Manziel.
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Ultimately, Jones showed some discipline and made a wise choice to go with Notre Dame offensive lineman Zach Martin rather than taking a risk on Manziel.
The move surprised some, including former Cowboys quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
“I thought there was a real good chance if he fell to the Cowboys’ pick that he would take him,” Aikman said, via Travis Brown of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I understand why they didn’t. It would have certainly added a lot of excitement around here, but I don’t think it would have been best for the club, certainly not in the short term. There’s a lot of other needs, as we saw last year, that this team has, so it was probably the right thing not taking him, but I was a little surprised.
“I think that had to have been a difficult decision for Jerry.”
For the Cowboys, the decision to draft Martin showed that they are dedicated to improving the football team and not so much worried about selling tickets.
The Cowboys will always be popular, so they don’t need to take a risk on a player like Manziel for a cheap attempt to fill the stands.
Martin was a safe pick, so the Cowboys will hope their reasonable approach to the draft in 2014 will translate to more wins in 2014.