As Zack Martin closed the chapter on his illustrious NFL career Wednesday, a familiar face watched from the crowd during his retirement speech and reflected on how one rookie guard in 2014 helped the Dallas Cowboys return to playoff form.

Zack Martin was the last remaining player in Dallas from that group Romo mentioned, building upon a career that will go down in Cowboys history. Although their careers overlapped

In the first round of the 2014 draft, the Dallas Cowboys owner made one more pass to speak to the player personnel department and scouts, looking to stoke interest in taking Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and not guard Zack Martin.