only would Felix Jones been gone, but so would have Mendenhall since Pittsburgh took him with the very next pick.
So the Cowboys grabbed Felix Jones, who gives them a speed dimension they sorely needed on offense, instead of Mendenhall, who basically is Marion Barber. And as Jerry Jones said, having Barber allowed them to splurge with this sort of non-traditional running back who will threaten defenses with his speed in many ways.
Good thing they didn't wait, because Pittsburgh did take Mendenhall with the next pick and Tennessee, as they suspected, took a speed back to complement the running ability of quarterback Vince Young - can you say zone read - in East Carolina speedster Chris Johnson. That would have been Felix Jones.
That done, they had their hearts set on the cornerback at No. 28, certainly a necessity since they can't be sure NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would reinstate Adam Jones or if the guy would act a fool again and get his suspension extended. The guy they liked best was Jenkins, sort of an Anthony Henry clone who, incidentally played at the same South Florida. Other than possibly McKelvin, they weren't hatin' seeing Talib and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie taken earlier.
Now they were willing to settle for Flowers, but as defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said, since they already had acquired almost 5-10 Adam Jones, you don't want to get in the business of collecting too many 5-9 corners. The percentages just aren't with you.
So Jerry Jones got busy, and this is where doing your homework comes in handy. The Cowboys heavily suspected Houston, which had traded down from 18 to 26 with Baltimore, was going to take Jenkins. Well, they got the exact running back they wanted, so why not get greedy and get the cornerback, too.
Trader Jerry found himself a dance partner, Seattle, at No. 25, one pick ahead of Houston, for a mere fifth and seventh. And look, with the roster the Cowboys have, quality of draft picks was going to be much more important than quantity. That seventh-rounder likely wasn't going to make this team, and who knows, they might be able to turn that first pick in the fourth round into a fifth, if indeed they want to.
Plus, that also got them ahead of San Diego, which ended up taking a cornerback, too, Arizona's Antoine Cason.
"We'd really be sick if we let that (a fifth and seventh) stand in the way of getting (Jenkins)," Jerry Jones said.
Viola, Jenkins was theirs, and yes, you can have your running back, and your cornerback, too.
And then of all things, and against Jerry Jones' instincts - he admits to getting outvoted - the Cowboys sat still at No. 30 in the second round to replace the tight end they trade to Miami on Friday, Anthony Fasano, with Texas A&M 6-6½ tight end Martellus Bennett.
Nothing could have been finer.
"We looked at the (running back) position as if we needed two backs," Jones would say of the versatile toy he handed offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and then of Jenkins, he would say, "The guy is the most ready to play as any cornerback in the draft."
Now you might say no wide receiver. Well, none went in the first round. That tells you something. Plus, you flank Felix Jones out wide, and you think some defensive coordinator is going to cover him with a linebacker? Ha. Maybe not even with safety. He will be the guy stretching the defense, and plus there are still six rounds left on Sunday to find a speed merchant, and an outside chance of Terry Glenn being healthy enough to play. And please, don't forget Isaiah Stanback.
So all in all, a darn good day, and with three more at-bats on Sunday, and don't be surprised if one of those picks isn't another running back, a more traditional-style one.
To me, high fives all around.
They just worked it.
