Hindsight being what it is, Jerry Jones was right to finally stick to his guns and not draft Johnny Manziel. The decision was still a shock to many, including the greatest passer in Cowboys history.
Troy Aikman said Wednesday during a United Way event that he was surprised that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones passed on Johnny Manziel in the NFL Draft according to Travis Brown of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I thought there was a real good chance if he fell to the Cowboys’ pick that he would take him,” said Aikman, the former Dallas quarterback turned Fox NFL analyst.
“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.”
Aikman, like many others, believes Manziel will have a successful career if he can stay focused on football.
“I think when the time comes for him to get serious about football and put in the time, I’m confident he’ll do that,” Aikman said. “He’s going to have to do that if he’s going to be successful. There’s no shortcuts in this league to becoming a great player. Cleveland has invested a lot in him and expects a lot from him, and I’m sure he recognizes that.”