Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has explained his reasons for interviewing former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel at the NFL scouting combine.

Manziel is projected to be a top three overall pick during May's Draft, while the Cowboys won't get to register their first choice until pick number 16.

However Jones, who has tipped Manziel to become a "star" of the league, decided to speak with the 21-year-old anyway.

"You certainly have to look at him in terms of if he were to fall, where he would stack up with the other options," Jones told the Ben and Skin radio show.

"It's in no way saying that we're going to interview him because if he falls we're going to take him. We just have to know that if something were to happen, obviously he can be a polarizing character, so you have to be prepared."

Before Dallas in the Draft, six teams are projected to need quarterbacks, meaning that Manziel falling to them is considered unlikely.