Why Dallas Cowboys Passed on Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel

The 2014 NFL Draft was certainly a memorable one for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Offensive lineman Jake Matthews was taken with the sixth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, and right after him was wide receiver Mike Evans heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fast forward to later in the first round, and another highly touted Aggie draftee, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, much later than some had anticpated for "Johnny Football."

Why Did One Texas Team Pass Up On Him?

Born in Tyler and a native of Kerrville, TX, Manziel climbed through the high school football ranks and his performance in college speaks for itself.

So why didn't the Dallas Cowboys take the star quarterback in the draft? Perhaps as a backup to Tony Romo?

Stephen Jones, the son of Cowboys legendary owner Jerry Jones, offered up an explanation as to why the Cowboys chose to not draft Manziel with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft.

"It was nothing against Johnny Manziel, he's a great competitor, it was just 'do you use your first-round pick?'" Jones said, per Sports Business Journal. "And of course, we had Tony Romo in the building, and so it was more about that. Do create that kind of anxiety in the organization by bringing him (Manziel) in?"

Jones would explain the intensely silent environment in the Cowboys draft room when they mentioned picking Manziel, and how he had to persuade his father to go with another player.

"We go 'let's talk about Johnny,' and everybody in the room just had their head down, not saying a word," Jones said. "And then I said, 'Dad, I know this is a hard thing because everybody knows you want Johnny, but as you've heard some of the things, I don't think he's the right guy for us,' and so roll the clock forward, and we end up picking Zack Martin."

And when you look at how the careers shaped out for Martin and Manziel, the Cowboys definitely had their minds right with their pick.

Zack Martin, who recently announced his retirement in February, has been hailed as one of the greatest offensive guards in the history of the game, having more career Pro Bowls than career holding calls, and seven first-team NFL All-Pro selections, clearing the way for great Cowboys backs such as DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott to lead the Cowboys offensive attack.

As for Manziel, his career saw a short tenure and an unfortunate end in the NFL after only a couple of seasons due to multiple off-field issues.