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Stephen Jones says Cowboys weren't hoping to trade down in the first round: 'It's not going to be popular'
Executive vice president Stephen Jones agrees that the Cowboys trade down frequently in the first round of the NFL draft.
But trading down is not a cause for celebration.
“Everybody thinks we’re, ‘Oh, my god, we get to make a trade, let’s just move down,’ ” he said last weekend after the second day of the draft. “It’s not going to be popular when you move down. It wasn’t what we were hoping for. You don’t play for the hoopla; you can’t get into that.
“You’ve got to manage your draft, and we felt like the best decision for us when certainly players were off the board, was to go down and do the right thing and pick up a pick, which we needed, and take a player that fits for what we need in the first round. That brings a little more value for that pick.”
The Cowboys sent their first-round pick, No. 18, to San Francisco for San Francisco’s first-round pick, No. 31, and a third-round pick, No. 74. The 31 turned into center Travis Frederick of Wisconsin, and the 74 was used for Baylor receiver Terrance Williams.
“Now, we lost a few guys that maybe would have been a little higher than even Frederick, but they didn’t make it to 31,” Jones said.
The Cowboys have broadly hinted that they had Frederick rated between 20 and 22. Jerry Jones said the Cowboys had all three of their top picks rated in the early 20s.
-- Carlos Mendez
Executive vice president Stephen Jones agrees that the Cowboys trade down frequently in the first round of the NFL draft.
But trading down is not a cause for celebration.
“Everybody thinks we’re, ‘Oh, my god, we get to make a trade, let’s just move down,’ ” he said last weekend after the second day of the draft. “It’s not going to be popular when you move down. It wasn’t what we were hoping for. You don’t play for the hoopla; you can’t get into that.
“You’ve got to manage your draft, and we felt like the best decision for us when certainly players were off the board, was to go down and do the right thing and pick up a pick, which we needed, and take a player that fits for what we need in the first round. That brings a little more value for that pick.”
The Cowboys sent their first-round pick, No. 18, to San Francisco for San Francisco’s first-round pick, No. 31, and a third-round pick, No. 74. The 31 turned into center Travis Frederick of Wisconsin, and the 74 was used for Baylor receiver Terrance Williams.
“Now, we lost a few guys that maybe would have been a little higher than even Frederick, but they didn’t make it to 31,” Jones said.
The Cowboys have broadly hinted that they had Frederick rated between 20 and 22. Jerry Jones said the Cowboys had all three of their top picks rated in the early 20s.
-- Carlos Mendez