Cowboys pass on Manziel to take Notre Dame lineman

Discussion in 'Dallas Cowboys' started by truebluefan, May 10, 2014.

  1. truebluefan

    truebluefan Administrator Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2010
    Messages:
    212,768
    Likes Received:
    821
    Trophy Points:
    113
    [​IMG]

    Everybody wanted a circus.

    Some even rooted for a circus.

    And certainly the drama was there when it came time for the Dallas Cowboys to pick 16th overall Thursday night in the NFL Draft’s first round.

    Texas A&M lightning-rod quarterback Johnny Manziel was on the board and the team’s top defensive targets had already been taken.

    But what appeared to be a match made in JerryWorld heaven gave way to the sanity of what was right for the football team.

    The Cowboys resisted the temptation of taking Manziel, selecting Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin instead.

    Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys considered several trade offers when they were on the clock, but decided they didn’t want to give up the opportunity to draft Martin. But they never gave a thought about taking Manziel.

    “Tony [Romo] had everything to do with this decision,” Jones said. “We have a big commitment to Tony. There is no way a quarterback comes in and beats out Tony Romo. He is going to be the quarterback for the Cowboys for years to come.”

    Asked about forever being known in Texas as the player the Cowboys took instead of the much-hyped and immensely popular Manziel, Martin didn’t flinch.

    “That’s fine by me. I can live up to that,” Martin said on a conference call from his parents’ home in Indianapolis. “It means everything to me. I’m ready to go down there and start competing and being a member of this team. I couldn’t be happier.”

    Martin, ranked as the fourth-best tackle in the draft, doesn’t fill any of the team’s many needs on the defensive side of the ball but, according to the Cowboys, he was the best player left on their draft board.

    More important, he is another building block for the offensive line that now has three young first-round picks, joining left tackle Tyron Smith in 2011 and center Travis Frederick in 2013.

    The Cowboys did not take an offensive lineman in the first round from 1981-2010, but now have taken one in the first round in three of the past four years.

    If you can’t help the defense, then why not give franchise quarterback Tony Romo, who is coming off back surgery for the second consecutive off-season, more protection.

    Look for the Cowboys to plug Martin in at right guard next to Doug Free with a possible move to tackle in 2015 when Free becomes a free agent. Martin said they spoke to him about playing guard Thursday night.

    - See more at: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/05/08/5805574/cowboys-pass-on-manziel-to-take.html
     

Share This Page