The Cowboys Should Have Selected Johnny Manziel

The Dallas Cowboys passed up an incredible opportunity to draft Texas A & M quarterback Johnny Manziel with their 16th pick during the first round of the NFL draft.

It is a minor miracle that Johnny Football was still available at 16, and Dallas will certainly need a replacement for Tony Romo sooner rather than later.  It is difficult to fathom a possibility of Kyle Orton or Brandon Weeden being Romo's eventual replacement.  Romo is coming off of his second back surgery and is 34 as well.  To put it into perspective, Troy Aikman retired at age 34 after just one back surgery.

Romo is a good quarterback and his numbers back up that statement, however even at 100 percent he makes questionable decisions and more often than not performs poorly during pressure filled situations.  Jerry Jones signed him to a huge contract extension last season, but again with his back issues it is a real possibility that he may only play 2 more seasons.

The way I see it, if Dallas wasn't going to address their true needs in the first round, which it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize are DEFENSIVE, then they should have rolled the dice and taken Manziel.   There are no guarantees that any player is going to be successful in the NFL, but a player like Johnny Football is truly unique.  He may be undersized but his athleticism, mobility, and arm strength are all superior attributes that could make him a remarkable NFL QB.

Maziel would have been a perfect fit in Dallas for a variety of reasons.  Jerry Jones wants to continue to attract fans to Jerry World and he would have done so with ease with the Texas native.  Like Romo, his mobility is something that Dallas truly needs in a signal caller, and Manziel could have spent the next season or two learning from Romo, which would have been a better scenario for him because the odds are that he will be the starter in Cleveland.

The Cowboys chose OT Zach Martin from Notre Dame in the first round, they now will have 3 first rounders on their offensive line, but they didn't address their true need first which is why I continue to question Jerry Jones decision making skills as the GM of the Cowboys.  The fact remains that the Cowboys could have drafted a great offensive lineman in the later rounds, and there will surly be some talented defensive players available in rounds 2-7 as well.  Johnny Manziel was still available and they missed a tremendous opportunity.

Only time will tell to see if Johnny Football pans out in the NFL, one thing is blatantly obvious,  in order to win in the NFL your team must have a good defense and take chances.  The Cowboys have a horrible defense and don't seem to be taking too many chances theses days.