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Jerry Jones: Johnny Manziel was No. 1 on my board

Published: May 09, 2014 at 03:28 PM

Gregg Rosenthal

Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host

It strangely was the moment of the night during Thursday's first round of the NFL draft. The Dallas Cowboys were on the clock. Johnny Manziel was still on the board. The Internet was about to explode.

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The Cowboys decided to pass on Manziel, but it wasn't an easy decision. Owner Jerry Jones admitted to reporters Friday that Manziel was the highest-rated player on the Cowboys' board at the time. NFL Media's Albert Breer reports that the Cowboys discussed drafting Manziel while they were on the clock at No. 16.

Ultimately, Jones said, the Cowboys just had too much invested in Tony Romo. That's largely because of Jones' self-inflicted salary-cap woes, which forced his hand in Romo's last contract to the tune of $55 million guaranteed.

"It's not the usual development guy behind an accomplished quarterback. He's a celebrity. He's Elvis Presley," Jones said, per ESPNDallas.com.

So Jones ignored value because Manziel is a celebrity? Welcome to bizarro Dallas.

The latest "Around The League Podcast" provided instant reaction to all the wild happenings in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

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