Troy Aikman backs Dallas Cowboys’ move to select Morris Claiborne – NFL News
Dallas Cowboys’ former quarterback, Troy Aikman, who led the team to winning three Super Bowl titles, has backed Cowboys’ decision of selecting cornerback, Morris Claiborne, in first round of the 2012 National Football League (NFL) draft and said that the
team needed a strong player for the cornerback position.
Aikman shared these views while giving an interview on KDFW.
Aikman admitted that he, like others, was first surprised by the move, but said that it was a good decision by the team.
Cowboys had a 14th overall pick in the first round, but they feared losing Claiborne before their turn to select the player. So, to ensure they brought Claiborne to Dallas, they traded their pick with the St. Louis Rams and got a chance to draft
the player as sixth overall pick.
Claiborne himself was a bit surprised as he did not know that Cowboys would trade their pick up to select him. Aikman commented on the player’s selection:
"Nobody was anticipating the Cowboys were going to move up and make a move like that. And Claiborne, he was not even brought in as one of the players the Cowboys looked at."
When asked about the player’s potential, Aikman acknowledged that there was a risk involved in his selection as the pick could have been utilised to add a receiver or any other member of the offensive line.
However, the former star maintained that Claiborne will add great value to the team. Aikman said:
“Is there some risk involved? Yeah, I think there’s always an element of that. But from what I’ve seen, I think [Claiborne] is going to come in and really do a nice job. It’s a position that was desperately needed, and with some of the things Rob Ryan does
defensively, that’s an important position."
Recently, Claiborne expressed a desire to be a two-way player and said that he wanted to play on defence as well as on offence.
He is certainly ambitious and passionate and these are the qualities that might have led Aikman to sing the player’s praise. He further said:
"I like the pick. I think [Claiborne] will go on and have an excellent career."
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