Johnny Manziel was atop Cowboys’ draft board at No. 16
Manziel was atop the Cowboys’ draft board when they picked at No. 16, meaning we were thiiiiis close to have a Manziel-Romo-Jerry Jones dysfunctional love triangle.
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Johnny Manziel ultimately fell to the Cleveland Browns at No. 22 overall in 2014 NFL Draft, but he very nearly went to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 16. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday that Manziel was on top of the team's draft board when it came their turn to select in the first round, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The team balked because it had "just too much invested in Romo," per Williams.
The internet waited with bated breath when the Cowboys went on the clock at No. 16. There had been speculation that Dallas would select the Texas A&M quarterback if he tumbled further than expected. Manziel certainly would have sparked some fascinating media coverage. Things got a little weird in the minutes when the Cowboys’ pick was still in the air. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
NFL Draft
Tony Romo is well entrenched as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. He was signed to a six-year, $108 million contract extension in 2013, so selecting Manziel and expecting him to compete for the starting job would have been crazy, even by Jones' standards. The thinking may have been that Manziel could develop behind Romo a la Aaron Rodgers behind Brett Favre.
Jones was a notable attendee at Manziel’s circus-like pro day, along with George H.W. Bush and a pseudo-pass rusher position coach with a broom.
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