IRVING, Texas - There will be much debate about whether the Cowboys received enough value to move down 13 spots in the first round.
The team also used a second-round pick on a little-known tight end.
A draft that began with controversy and confusion ended on a decidedly different note.
No one can say with any level of certainty that the Cowboys had a successful draft in 2013. It will take years for a final conclusion to be drawn.
But the initial assessment is that this class could have more contributors across the board in the first year than any class in the past five to eight years.
“I think we had a very productive draft,” said Stephen Jones, the team’s chief operating officer.
“What we’re most excited about is we have seven players I think are going to start, compete and be productive for our football team this year. I don’t think any of the guys we got, when we look at them, that they all can’t potentially be a starter on our football team.”
The Cowboys came out of this draft with seven players. William & Mary cornerback B.W. Webb, Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle and South Carolina linebacker DeVonte Holloman were added Saturday.
The club tried to add another. Club officials waved a pick from next year’s draft in front of teams hoping to move into the seventh round to select DC Jefferson, a blocking tight end from Rutgers, but no one bit.
Coach Jason Garrett spoke in recent days about the need to have a pure draft that lines up as closely as possible to the team’s draft board. He believes a team that ignores that approach too often to address a need, by definition, gets worse.
The Cowboys left more highly ranked players on the board in deciding to move down in the first round to select center Travis Frederick.
“You’ve got to be careful about going into a draft and saying we want to address this, this, this and this,” Garrett said. “You want to go up on that board and pick the best players off the board and you want to be as disciplined with that as possible.
“Now there are some times you don’t do that, you’re stacked up at that position so you’ll slide down to the next guy. But for the most part, we’re taking the guys off the top of our board.
“In a lot of cases, they addressed the needs, or the perceived needs, of our football team. And that’s a good thing.”
A popular phrase that took hold in the days leading up to this draft was that the Cowboys needed to come away with several “walk-in starters.” Frederick is the only one who qualifies.
But club officials vowed that Escobar would play a significant role this season as the team moves to more two tight-end sets.
Williams will get snaps as the third receiver. Starters Dez Bryant and Miles Austin have combined to miss 12 games over the last three seasons.
Randle lines up behind running back DeMarco Murray, who has missed nine games the past two seasons.
Safety J.J. Wilcox and Holloman are viewed more as special teams contributors this season. Webb, an exceptional athlete, can make an impact in the team’s nickel and dime packages.
Unlike last season’s class, this group appears to be in good health. Randle has a thumb injury but it’s not expected to limit him this off-season beyond some pass catching drills.
“We use the expression, ‘If we … ’,” Garrett said. “If we evaluated these guys the right way and saw them the right way, we feel good about their potential to compete as starters, compete for roles or be special teams guys.
“If they are who we think they are, you have a great chance of having a good draft.”
Sports, Pages 13 on 04/29/2013