IRVING, Texas – It's draft week.
The Cowboys are continuing their preparations for Thursday night's opening round, but on Monday afternoon Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Jason Garrett visited with the local media for about 45 minutes at Valley Ranch.
Highlights below:
- Two teams have already traded out of the top five – the Titans and Browns traded the top two overall picks to the Rams and Eagles, respectively – but Jerry Jones said the Cowboys have "a good feeling" that a quality player will be available for them to select at No. 4.
- Although the draft is critical for adding young talent, Jerry Jones said he believes the Cowboys are closer to returning to their 2014 record of 12-4 than repeating last year's 4-12 record, due in large part to the healthy return of quarterback Tony Romo, wide receiver Dez Bryant and cornerback Orlando Scandrick in 2016.
- Through their work in free agency, the front office feels they're entering the draft without a "have-to" position of need. That includes running back, where they've signed veteran Alfred Morris to pair with Darren McFadden.
- On the subject of running back, however, Stephen Jones was asked about Ohio State standout Ezekiel Elliott. "I think he's worthy of being in the top 10 for sure," Jones said. "Where we ultimately end up with him, that's still a work in progress. But he's obviously a very quality type player that seems like he's pretty much universally looked at as a guy who deserves to be in that category."[embeddedad0]
- Jerry Jones also said it's not a high priority to draft a developmental quarterback in this particular year – "certainly not a high enough priority to make a bad decision or a forced decision." Jones said the team feels "very good" about Romo's health and feels confident his collarbone surgery should diminish the chance of re-injury.
Cornerback depth is generally viewed as one of the team's potential draft needs. So, naturally Garrett was asked about Florida State's Jalen Ramsey, arguably the best cornerback/safety prospect in the 2016 class. "He's a great football player," Garrett said. "He's an impact player at the highest level. He's been a guy that has played both safety and corner, and seems to me he plays them equally well. He shows up on the tape. He leaps off the tape."
