National Football League

Aikman surprised Cowboys didn't take Manziel in NFL Draft

Published Jul. 17, 2014 12:10 p.m. ET

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Most Dallas Cowboys fans were hoping and expecting owner Jerry Jones to jump at the chance to take Johnny Manziel in the first round of the NFL Draft in May.

It wasn't a shock that he took an offensive lineman instead, but former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was surprised Jones passed on Johnny Football when he was still available.

"I thought there was a real good chance if [Manziel] fell to the Cowboys' pick that he would take him," Aikman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "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."

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Many still question Manziel's future as an NFL quarterback, but Aikman believes he will be focused and ready to work for the Browns when the season kicks off.  

"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."

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