IRVING, Texas – To hear it from him, Tony Romo's draft night experience was pretty similar to much of the Cowboys' fanbase.
"I was actually with my family, and we were having a cookout, and we watched the draft, the same as everybody else," Romo told 105.3 The Fan in a radio interview on Wednesday.
Where the story might differ, however, was Romo's reaction to the Cowboys' time on the clock when they made their 16th overall pick back on May 8. With lightning rod quarterback Johnny Manziel there for the taking, the Cowboys' 10 minutes of deliberation will likely be remembered as some of the most suspenseful television in recent draft history.
Watching the draft unfold from home, Romo said he wasn't as surprised by the decision to pass on Manziel for eventual pick Zack Martin as many might have been.
"I think I might have had a little bit more information than some others about who we liked, and obviously the organization has people they put really high on their board and who they like," he said. "I'm able to, walking through the halls, have that ability to talk to them a little bit."
Instead of a potential competitor or successor at quarterback, Romo now has a new starter on the offensive line charged with protecting him – the third time in four years the Cowboys have invested a first-round pick on a blocker.
"I think we have a great plan for our approach, going forward as a team and an organization, how we're going to build and be the team that we want to be," he said. "I think they did a great job, and I think Zack's a great player, and he's going to start for us for a long time. I'm excited about that." [embedded_ad]
A chorus of voices in the organization have trumpeted the importance of building strong lines – both offensive and defensive. Romo said he was happy not just with the extra time that Martin should be able to buy him, but the selection of DeMarcus Lawrence to help restore the defense's pass rush.
"You look at the teams who are the very successful, it's the teams who dominate up front on both sides of the ball," he said. "You've got to build it that way – that's part of it. It was a great night, and I think we had a great pick."
