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Cowboys Pick Up 2 In First Round

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Apr 26, 2008 10:04 pm US/Central

Cowboys Pick Up 2 In First Round

Cowboys Load Up On 'Big Play' Guys With RB Jones, CB Jenkins

The Dallas Cowboys wanted a running back in the first round of the draft, and the guy widely considered the second-best available fell right to them at No. 22.

But Rashard Mendenhall wasn't who Jerry Jones wanted. Felix Jones was.

Taking Jones made sense because the speedster complements bruiser Marion Barber, and Jones will have no ego problems being a backup because he played behind Darren McFadden at Arkansas. Plus, his average of 28.2 yards per kickoff return is among the best in college football history, filling another need for Dallas.

In fact, most mock drafts had him as the team's pick.

Yet Jerry Jones was forced to defend his choice because Mendenhall was available. Asked which running back was listed higher on the team's draft board, Jones said he didn't want to get into that, then added, "You could flip a coin."

He also described Mendenhall as someone who "could be a full-time, 25-carry back, if you wanted him to." But the Cowboys didn't want that. Rather than a straight starter-backup situation with Barber and Mendenhall, the team wanted the 1-2 punch of Barber and Felix Jones.

"Starter is not the word I would look for," Jerry Jones said. "I would think that we're casting our lot in a two-back offense more with Felix Jones than we would be with Mendenhall as we plan ahead. Nothing wrong with that, because we have Barber."

The Cowboys also thought about taking a cornerback at No. 22, but decided to wait until their next pick, at No. 28. Then it looked like the player they wanted wouldn't still be around, so they moved up to No. 25 to take Mike Jenkins of South Florida. Dallas gave up fifth- and seventh-round picks to scoot up.

In the second round, Dallas drafted tight end Martellus Bennett of Texas A&M. He replaces Anthony Fasano as the second tight end after Jason Witten. Fasano was traded to Miami, along with linebacker Akin Ayodele, for a fourth-round pick.

The Cowboys needed another third-rounder because theirs is headed to Tennessee for Adam "Pacman" Jones. A trade for the suspended cornerback was in the works since Wednesday, but is finally ironed out, pending only the expected league formalization on Sunday.

Felix Jones is the first offensive player Dallas has taken in the first round since 1997.

"I am just ready to go in there and learn my playbook and get on the field," he said. "Coach Jones was the first person to call me and I was so excited."

Uh, Coach Jones?

"Well, Mr. Jones," he said. "Sorry."

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)