IRVING, Texas -- The 45th overall pick was the price for the Cowboys to move up eight spots for the player they considered by far the biggest defensive difference-maker in the draft.
It was, according to Jerry Jones, the most consensus decision made during a draft in his 24-year tenure running the show at Valley Ranch.
“No one takes picks around here for granted and it’s painful to lose the second-round pick,” said Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, the man who negotiated the deal with the St. Louis Rams. “But to move from 14 in the draft and get one of the premier players in the draft, obviously you’ve got to give up something significant. And by a lot of charts, it will probably show that we should’ve given up more.”
There are impact players drafted in the second round every year, but that mid-40s pick is a bargain price to pay if Claiborne is even close to as good as the Cowboys scouts believe.
To put it in perspective, here are the last 10 No. 45 overall picks, a collection of players with a combined three Pro Bowl appearances: Rahim Moore, Zane Beadles, Clint Sintim, Jordon Dizon, Dwayne Jarrett, LenDale White, Lofa Tatupu, Jake Grove, Bethel Johnson and Tank Williams.
And the Cowboys’ last 10 second-round picks: Bruce Carter, Sean Lee, Martellus Bennett, Anthony Fasano, Kevin Burnett, Julius Jones, Justin Rogers, Al Johnson, Andre Gurode and Antonio Bryant.