Source: Cowboys to meet Manziel

Johnny Manziel should be long gone by the time the Dallas Cowboys pick 16th in the first round in May, but the team will meet with the Texas A&M quarterback during the NFL scouting combine.

Manziel is among the Cowboys' 60 official interviews in Indianapolis and will meet with the team's coaches and scouts Friday night, according to a source.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said earlier in the offseason that the Cowboys will not use an early pick on a quarterback, in part because of their commitment to Tony Romo, who signed a six-year, $106 million extension last year, however, that will not stop the Cowboys from doing their due diligence on draft prospects.

At the combine on Friday, Manziel measured just one-quarter of an inch short of 6 feet. He came in at 5-11¾ at 207 pounds with 9 7/8-inch hands.



In 2011, the Cowboys met with Cam Newton, who was the first pick in the draft by the Carolina Panthers. They had the No. 9 pick in the draft that year and took Tyron Smith.

Manziel attended a few Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium the past two years and spoke with coach Jason Garrett after one game.

"He's a great football player and someone I admire a great deal," Garrett said Thursday. "If you're a fan of football and you watch Texas A&M play, he's something else. He's done an amazing job in a short period of time during his career for that program. He's really fun to watch.

"I think with all young players, particularly at that position and studying the game and working hard at the game is really important and understanding those kind of work habits. If you look at the best players who ever played that position, they're the best workers in that building. That made them great leaders. And that made them great players.

"So I would give that advice to anybody. And certainly everybody is excited to see where he goes and what he does because he is such a great football player."