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In the last two drafts, the Cowboys have added pass-catching tight ends James Hanna and Gavin Escobar.

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ESPN NFL expert John Clayton joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to talk about Jerry Jones' conference call, the Cowboys' draft picks and much more. Listen

Does this mean the Cowboys are ready to move on from veteran Jason Witten?

Of course not. If anything, the Cowboys want to add to their passing game and believe the talent obtained the last two years will help accomplish that.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones offered these thoughts on his tight ends: "The answer is simply if you have that kind of talent, certainly as (receiving tight ends) and can get some blocking out of (them), then what does that allow us to do? Frankly, not necessarily different in concept ... But it really allows us to have different challenges, different views (against the defense), maybe doing the same things, but they are dealing with different types of personal."

Witten is an elite player and has been for years. Last season, he caught a team-high 110 passes for 1,039 yards and three touchdowns. Witten does need more touches in the red zone and it's amazing he doesn't have more touchdown catches given his ability to slip through defenses. He doesn't have great speed, but he's fast enough to get down field to make plays.

Adding Escobar and Hanna helps the Cowboys' offense in the future.

But the present at the tight end position is certainly with Witten.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys made it clear they will become a two-tight end personnel team after the draft.

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ESPN Dallas' Jean-Jacques Taylor weighs in on Jerry Jones' remarks regarding Tony Romo's work ethic, Romo's commitment to being the Cowboys' QB and more. Listen

Jerry Jones invoked the New England Patriots when discussing the scheme following the selection of San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar in the second round. The Cowboys also had Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert graded as a first-round pick.

With Jason Witten (who is coming off a 110-catch season), James Hanna and Escobar, the Cowboys are in position to attempt to simulate what Tom Brady does with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

We offer a Q&A with ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss for an explanation of how New England uses its “12 personnel.”

Archer: What makes the Patriots' use of the two-tight end package work so well?

Reiss: It starts with the unique talents of the tight ends themselves. Rob Gronkowski (6-foot-6, 265 pounds) is obviously a very tough matchup for a linebacker or safety. He's more likely to be aligned closest to the offensive tackle, but because he runs so well, the Patriots will also split him out wide. He's equally as effective as a blocker or pass-catcher, making him a true "combination" tight end. Aaron Hernandez (6-1, 245) is a nice complement to Gronkowski. He is more receiver-like and thus is split out wide more often or on the move, although he does align close to the tackle on occasion and is competitive as an in-line blocker even though it's not his forte. We've seen the Patriots run the same offense with different tight ends and it hasn't been as effective (e.g., last season's playoffs when Gronkowski was out with injury), so I think the first key is to acknowledge that it's more about the players than the scheme when it comes to the Patriots' two-tight end package and its success.

Archer: How does it differ, in your mind, from how other teams use the package?

Reiss: Probably the biggest thing is how many formations and adjustments they can run out of it, which comes back to the versatility and unique skills of the top two tight ends, Gronkowski and Hernandez. They could be empty in the package, with both tight ends split out wide, or more tightly compact in a traditional look with both tight ends aligned next to the tackles. Sometimes they play up-tempo with it. Other times they slow it down. So there are really so many things you can do out of the package, which again is tied to the uniqueness of Gronkowski and Hernandez. When one of those players has been injured, the package isn't as dynamic, and at times in those situations, the Patriots will use a third receiver over a second tight end.

Archer: How do most teams combat it with their defensive personnel?

Reiss: I'd say most teams combat it with a nickel package, essentially treating Hernandez as a receiver. When that happens, the Patriots have made a concerted effort to turn to the running game, feeling that a two-TE package should be able to win that matchup against a smaller defense. The results were uneven last season when it was two-TE versus nickel, in part due to some injuries on the offensive line. One of the clear-cut examples of it working to a T was last year's Sept. 30 win over the Bills, when they played a small nickel the entire game (it could have even been a dime but they listed 6-1, 220-pound safety Bryan Scott as a linebacker) and the Patriots powered through them for 247 rushing yards. Other teams have stayed in base, but it takes special personnel to do that and not get beaten by the tight ends in the passing game.

Archer: Is there ever a downside to it, like shrinking the field too much?

Reiss: If we wanted to nitpick from a Patriots perspective, we could say that relying so heavily on the two-TE package when your top receiver is more of a slot option (Wes Welker from 2007 to '12) means that your three best pass-catchers all do their best work in the middle of the field. So I guess there is a part of it where "shrinking the field" could come into play, but I don't think that's a reason not to do it. If you have two special tight ends, they can be matchup-busters and you can dictate terms based on their versatility. If the defense plays nickel against you, pound it at that team. If the defense plays base personnel, spread that defense out and let it rip.

Archer: Has the package all but eliminated the fullback in the offense?

Reiss: Yes, for the most part. The Patriots used tight end Michael Hoomanawanui in a fullback role at times last season. Other times, most often closer to the goal line, they used an offensive lineman as a fullback. But overall, when running so much of the offense with two tight ends, you're most often going to see two receivers and a running back paired with them unless it's a short-yardage situation. In terms of building the 53-man roster, one point that Bill Belichick has made is that the fullback is basically competing against a running back, tight end or linebacker for a spot, and it often can come down to special teams contributions. The Patriots didn't carry a pure fullback last season.

Still sorting out what went down last week in the NFL draft, Todd McShay has selected a "Best pick" and a "Questionable pick" for each team in the league. Here's what he came up with for the NFC East's teams:

Dallas Cowboys

Best: Gavin Escobar

Questionable: Travis Frederick

Todd says Escobar has the best hands of any tight end he evaluated for this draft. As for Frederick, as has been the case many places, Todd's issue is not with the player but rather how high he was picked. But I still don't know what any team saw Thursday night that would have made them comfortable with waiting a round or two for the offensive lineman they wanted.

New York Giants

Best: Justin Pugh

Questionable: Johnathan Hankins

Todd's opinion of the players is at the root of this evaluation. He likes Pugh a lot -- thinks he projects as a guard, but doesn't rule out tackle. He's less high on Hankins, saying he struggles with technique and offers little in the pass rush.

Philadelphia Eagles

Best: Lane Johnson

Questionable: Bennie Logan

Todd likes Johnson as a fit for the up-tempo offense Chip Kelly plans to run, because of his athleticism. He questions Logan as a guy who took plays off.

Washington Redskins

Best: Phillip Thomas

Questionable: David Amerson

Todd believes Thomas was undervalued and that Washington did well to find a potential 2013 starter in Round 4. He had a fourth-round grade on Amerson, and says the Redskins could have made a safer choice at 51. I agree, but safe doesn't appear to be what the Redskins were after. They were trying to hit home runs with their early picks, and they like Amerson's raw ability.

The way you feel about the Dallas Cowboys' 2013 draft seems to depend on the way you feel about how they handled the first round. Ashley Fox, feels they bungled it badly, and theorizes that they did so because Jerry Jones was distracted by his attendance at the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library earlier in the day.

Now, I understand that Jerry excels at making himself an easy target. And I like Ashley's work. But on this point, I couldn't disagree with her more strongly. The way the Cowboys handled the first round has all the hallmarks of a coherent plan. A distracted decision-maker would have stayed put and taken the highest player on the board at No. 18, even if he didn't think that player was worth such a high pick. What the Cowboys did made sense on a number of levels.

First of all, they trade down with the 49ers, getting the 31st pick of the first round and the 12th pick of the third in exchange for that No. 18 pick. The biggest criticism we've heard is that they should have been able to get more from the 49ers, but different draft-value charts say different things on that and it takes two sides to make a deal. If they didn't have a player they liked at 18 and they saw a chance to get two that they did, then there's nothing wrong with taking that deal.

The player they ended up taking at 31, Wisconsin center Travis Frederick, projects as both an immediate and long-term starter for the Cowboys at either center or one of the guard spots. The second criticism is that they reached for him -- that they could have had him in the second or maybe even the third round. But (a) no one knows that for sure and (b) the 31st pick is practically the second round anyway. It's not as though they took Frederick 10th overall (or even 18th, for that matter). The Cowboys absolutely, 100 percent, more than any team needed anything in this entire draft, needed to come out of the first round with a new starter on the offensive line. They did. And they got an extra third-round pick out of the deal and used it on Baylor wide receiver Terrance Williams, a new vertical threat for Tony Romo in the passing game.

PODCAST
Cowboys second-round draft pick Gavin Escobar joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his strengths as a tight end, the stress of the draft process and the thrill of working with Jason Witten and Tony Romo. Listen

Along the way, they added second-round tight end Gavin Escobar, who also offers the opportunity to expand their options in the passing game and represents the successor to Jason Witten down the road. With their original third-rounder, they added physical safety J.J. Wilcox, who could push for a starting spot this year. In the fourth they added a cornerback, B.W. Webb, deepening a position at which there's no such thing as too many bodies. In the fifth they took a running back, Joseph Randle, who didn't miss a game in college, to back up the injury-prone DeMarco Murray. And in the sixth they took project linebacker DeVonte Holloman.

They filled needs at good value in rounds two through six, and their second and third picks of the draft will help them add layers to their offense, offering Romo more options from play to play and game to game as his receiving threats become more numerous and varied. If it weren't for the weird way the first round went down, people would be hailing this as a fine draft for the Cowboys. And frankly, too many people are overreacting too strongly to the way the first round went down.

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Chuck Cooperstein, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the Cowboys' draft picks and who was influencing Jerry Jones' decisions. Listen

This was a lousy draft class, people. A bad year. Very little, if any, top-level talent, and if you're picking 18th that puts you in a tough spot. Considering that, and the fact that they needed to get an offensive lineman in the first round, I think the Cowboys acquitted themselves rather coolly. I certainly don't think the way they operated their first round indicates distraction or the lack of a plan. Quite the contrary, in fact.

Fans might be happier today had they gone offensive line again in the second or third round, or if they'd found a defensive tackle early. They could have stayed put at 18 and taken Sharrif Floyd, and perhaps that would have been hailed as a coup, since Floyd had been projected to go much earlier. But this is the part I never get. All we hear going into the draft is how useless all of these projections are, and then while the draft is going on everybody wants to use them to critique the picks. There was some good reason Floyd fell all the way to 23, and Dallas was hardly the only team to pass on him.

If Frederick never starts a game, or turns out to be a bust, then obviously it'll be easy to look back and say the Cowboys bungled this. But in a bad draft year, why not take the players you like instead of the ones the mock-drafters told you to like? I think the Cowboys got five players who could contribute right away, and Frederick could start on their line for the next eight years. I honestly don't see what's to rip.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys draft is over but not forgotten, so there’s no time like now than to wonder about things that did and did not happen.

On to 5 Wonders:

** If the Cowboys are going to be a predominantly two-tight end team, like they say they are, then I wonder if they should have taken Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert at No. 18 and risked the chance that Travis Frederick would be there at No. 47. If they had gone that route, they would have had the best tight end and best center in the draft with their top two picks. The Cowboys had their eyes on Justin Pugh with the No. 31 pick, but he went to the New York Giants at No. 19. They felt Frederick was the final offensive lineman in the draft capable of being a Day 1 starter and did not want to risk losing him or waiting until the second round. That’s a draft for need, which is OK at that point, but Eifert will be somebody worth watching for the next few years.

** I wonder if the Cowboys will alter how they will evaluate defensive lineman after what happened with Sharrif Floyd. He was among the top-10 players on their board, perhaps the highest rated defensive player, and he was staring them in the face with the 18th pick. And they passed on him. Then you hear about the kid’s arm length and lack of sacks. Well, those were things everybody knew before the draft. What it came down to was scheme fit and Floyd wasn’t deemed to fit in what the Cowboys wanted in 4-3 tackles. Had they stuck with the 3-4, then I can almost guarantee they would have selected him. If a player is not a scheme fit, then he just can’t be that high on their draft board.

** I wonder if Jerry Jones understands how even in points of praise he can also hurt. Take Tony Romo as an example. On Friday, Jones said Romo played a part in the selections of Gavin Escobar and Terrance Williams in the second and third rounds. Jones was attempting to show Romo was all-in. Well, what about the current players on the roster at those positions. Should they now think Romo didn’t like them as much? And then Jones said part of the quarterback’s new megadeal meant he had to spend “Peyton Manning time” at the facility. For those who questioned Romo’s commitment, that was all they needed to further their belief that Romo was not fully vested when Romo has always been a “football junkie.”

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Did Jerry Jones call out Tony Romo? Fitzsimmons & Durrett react to exclusive audio of Jones talking about the quarterback's increased role, who will be calling plays for the Cowboys and the Peyton Manning-like time he anticipates Romo putting in. Listen

**Over the last two years every team in the NFC East has looked at a quarterback-of-the-future/present in the draft. Washington did it last year with Robert Griffin III and also took Kirk Cousins. Philadelphia traded up for the top pick of the fourth round to take Matt Barkley a year after they took Nick Foles. The New York Giants grabbed Ryan Nassib in the fourth round. And the Cowboys chose to pass on the position. Again. Romo turned 33 recently. Kyle Orton is signed through 2014. I wonder if next year is the year the Cowboys look to the quarterback position. No, I do. Really. I had no problem with the club not taking a QB this year, but had Barkley, Nassib and Tyler Wilson dropped to them in the fourth round, I wonder if they would have pulled the trigger this year. Since they passed on Landry Jones, I think we know he wasn’t their guy. Is it too early to think about A.J. McCarron or Aaron Murray or any other QB? And, yes, I realize Johnny Manziel could be draft eligible. A quick aside: For those wondering why the Cowboys didn’t go after Tyler Bray, think about it. His coach, Derek Dooley, is on this staff now. Don’t you think the team would need to know all (stress all) there would be to know? And if the kid panned out at Tennessee, then Dooley would still be the Vols coach.

** I hope Marcus Lattimore turns into a great success. His story would be a terrific inspiration for everybody. But he wasn’t what the Cowboys needed. I wonder if people realize San Francisco was able to take a flier on Lattimore, who is coming back from a horrific knee injury, because it had so many picks. The Niners had the opportunity to offer up a redshirt year for Lattimore. The Cowboys, who entered the draft with six picks and added one through a trade with the Niners, didn’t. They needed a running back to help right now and they got Joseph Randle in the fifth round. If Lattimore becomes a star, then good for San Francisco but I would not use that as a knock on how the Cowboys ran their draft.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys’ post-draft hype focused on how much this class would help immediately.

“We’ve got here seven players of what I think are going to start, compete, be productive for our football team this year,” player personnel director Stephen Jones said. “I don’t think any of these guys we’ve drafted come to mind, or when we look at them here, that they all can’t potentially be a starter on our football team.”

That statement was made with a loose definition of starter that includes the second tight end, second running back, third receiver and slot cornerback. Still, it’s pretty bold to predict that seven rookies will step right into significant roles with a team that has playoff aspirations.

How realistic is it? Let’s take an optimistic look at the impact each draft pick can make as a rookie:

Wisconsin C Travis Frederick (No. 31 overall): Jerry Jones has already anointed him as the “foundation” of the interior offensive line. He has significant experience at guard and center, but all signs are that he’ll be the starting center when the Cowboys opened organized team activities in May. The expectation is that Frederick will help give Romo “an extra half second,” as Jones keeps saying, and give a running game that ranked last in the NFC a major boost. Offensive coordinator Bill Callahan has compared him to Nick Mangold, a four-time Pro Bowler whom Callahan coached with the Jets.

PODCAST
Cowboys second-round draft pick Gavin Escobar joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his strengths as a tight end, the stress of the draft process and the thrill of working with Jason Witten and Tony Romo. Listen

San Diego State TE Gavin Escobar (No. 47 overall): He’s not going to take Jason Witten’s job any time soon, but the Cowboys are committed to featuring Escobar in multi-tight end packages immediately and using those personnel groups often. He’ll line up all over the field, particularly flexed in the slot and split out wide, as the Cowboys try to create mismatches. The Cowboys are confident that Escobar will be a better receiving threat than Martellus Bennett ever was. The preferred comparison at Valley Ranch is New England’s Aaron Hernandez, who had 45 receptions for 563 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.

Baylor WR Terrance Williams (No. 74 overall): The third receiver job is his for the taking. That would allow the Cowboys to continue using Miles Austin in the slot in three-receiver sets, as they have the last three seasons. The third receiver in this offense can get a lot of action, especially if the durability issues of Austin and Dez Bryant rear their ugly head again. Remember Laurent Robinson’s career year in 2011 (54 catches for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns)? Williams, who led the NCAA in receiving yards last season, has the same kind of frame and a knack for making plays downfield.

PODCAST
Chuck Cooperstein, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the Cowboys' draft picks and who was influencing Jerry Jones' decisions. Listen

Georgia Southern S J.J. Wilcox (No. 80 overall): Can he step in as a starter after playing safety for only one season in college? He’ll have the chance to compete for a job, with Barry Church coming off a torn Achilles tendon, Matt Johnson having yet to play an NFL snap and stopgap veteran Will Allen signing for less guaranteed money than last year’s camp cut Brodney Pool. The Cowboys love the Senior Bowl star’s athleticism (4.51 40 and 35-inch vertical), intelligence and toughness.

William & Mary CB B.W. Webb (No. 114 overall): He’d need to be spectacular in training camp and preseason to beat out incumbent slot corner Orlando Scandrick. Webb should be the fourth corner and contribute on special teams this season. Ideally, he’ll perform well enough as a rookie to make the Cowboys comfortable clearing out some cap space by cutting Scandrick.

Oklahoma State RB Joseph Randle (No. 151 overall): Randle arrives at Valley Ranch as the No. 2 running back behind DeMarco Murray, and the Cowboys need him to be an upgrade over former first-rounder Felix Jones. There’s no reason Randle, whose Big 12 numbers compare favorably to Murray’s, shouldn’t be able to rush for 500 yards and add another 200 receiving as a rookie with a handful of touchdowns. If Murray misses any time due to injury, the Cowboys are counting on Randle to be the workhorse.

South Carolina OLB DeVonte Holloman (No. 185 overall): The Cowboys didn’t make much of a commitment to Justin Durant (two-year, $2.365 million contract), so it’s not as if the SAM linebacker starting job is all locked up. It’s a stretch, however, for a sixth-round pick who was a safety until his senior year of college to be an immediate starter at linebacker. Holloman needs to be a special teams force this season.

IRVING, Texas – Lawrence Vickers picked the wrong time to need back surgery, not that there’s a good time to need back surgery.

The Cowboys’ decision to draft tight end Gavin Escobar in the second round, coupled with the never-ending discussion of the offense’s renewed use of the “12 personnel” grouping has put Vicker’s job in doubt as well as the long-term future of a true fullback.

“You certainly have to ask that question both in your roster makeup as you go to training camp and as you get into the season,” coach Jason Garrett said when asked about the long-term prognosis of the position given what happened during the three-day draft. “We like two-back runs like everybody in the league likes two-back runs. How do you get there? That’s something that’s going to be determined. Lawrence Vickers has done a nice job for us at the fullback position. We like using him. Fullbacks are harder to come by because not many play there in high school and not many play it in college. It’s been an issue for us for a number of years. Typically one or two get drafted every year.”

The Cowboys have used their tight ends at fullback in the past, but it’s interesting to note that New England, an offense that the Cowboys could attempt to emulate in 2013, did not have a traditional fullback on the active roster.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys brought their top three picks, Travis Frederick, Terrance Williams and Gavin Escobar, to Valley Ranch on Sunday for a meet and greet with the media.

Frederick and Williams were pre-draft visitors to the Cowboys’ practice facility, while Escobar made his first trek to the complex on Saturday.

“Feels great to be here,” Williams said. “This is a place I always wanted to be.”

Williams, a Dallas native, even offered up some advice for his new teammates.

“He already told us the traffic is terrible,” Escobar joked.

Frederick and Escobar are scheduled on flights to leave Dallas tonight. On his American Eagle flight from Madison, Wis., Frederick, all 312 pounds of him, was glad to have an open seat next to him but he wasn’t sure he would be so lucky on the return.

All of the players will be back in Irving for the rookie mini-camp from May 10-12.

IRVING, Texas – Since coining the term, “Romo friendly,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has had a funny way of showing that friendliness.

That’s changed in this offseason, and perhaps it has to do with the six-year extension Romo signed last month.

If the Cowboys’ first three picks are any indication, then Jones has taken a “Romo friendly” approach.

Quibble with what they got in return from San Francisco, but the Cowboys were able to address the interior of the offensive line with Travis Frederick with the 31st overall pick. Frederick will come in as a starter

“What he really is, is a foundation there in the middle that when we have him and (Tyron) Smith on the outside, we can fill in the blanks as we go along over the next few years, if he is the player we expect him to be there,” Jones said. “We needed that face. Romo called and said, ‘Thank you for my extra half second.’ That is going to mean more to us than anything I can say.”

Second-round tight end Gavin Escobar has to represent a significant shift in offensive philosophy. The Cowboys will be a heavy two-tight end team, but they say it will look differently than the ones they ran with previous second rounders Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett.

Escobar gives the Cowboys options, potentially down in the red zone, even if he is not a strong blocker at the moment.

Wide receiver Terrance Williams, the third-round pick gained in the San Francisco trade, is a potential big-play receiver. With the uncertain health of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant the last two years, the Cowboys needed to have a suitable outside receiver if their top-two receivers miss multiple weeks.

Williams caught 97 passes for 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns at Baylor last season.

“I think he is a mature player,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He plays with poise, he understands how to run routes, and he’s very good at making contested catches. One of the big jumps for a lot of young receivers in the NFL is the physical nature of the game. Often times in college there is some space out there. You are going to get contested by corners in the National Football League. The size and strength that you need to go along with the quickness and speed is critical. Getting off a press and making contested plays at the top of the route. He has demonstrated all of that.”

It's the making-of-the-sausage aspect of the NFL draft that's the problem. If the Dallas Cowboys had begun this offseason with picks 31, 47, 74 and 80 and drafted these same four players, the fans' reaction would have been quite different (though they'd still probably be mad about having lost the Super Bowl). The reason everybody was so upset about the Cowboys' draft 24 hours ago was this trade they made with the San Francisco 49ers in the first round and the idea that they didn't get enough in return for the No. 18 pick.

But from here? From the tail end of Friday night, with three rounds and four Cowboys picks in the books? To me, it looks as though the Cowboys are having a pretty good draft.

The first and most important thing they needed to do, above all else, was find offensive line help in the first round, and they did. You might not like Travis Frederick as a first-rounder, but the fact is this draft was weak at the top. And if you're sifting between sub-optimal options, why should you feel compelled to pick the guy other people have agreed to like as opposed to the guy you like? "Trust your board," is every team's pre-draft mantra, and if the Cowboys' board called Frederick their answer, there's nothing wrong with taking him with the 31st pick.

What happened next seemed weird because it was offense again with the first two picks Friday night. A team that has Jason Witten used its second-round pick on a tight end its fans had never heard of, Gavin Escobar, instead of a safety or a tackle or another offensive lineman. So the crying began anew, as well as the same old jokes about how the owner needs to fire the GM when we all know there's no chance of that ever happening. Then, in the third round, with the pick they got in that first-round trade, they went offense again, taking Baylor wide receiver Terrance Williams.

But then a funny thing happened. The outlines of the plan began to congeal in front of everyone's eyes. And through the prism of a pick that finally felt like a really good one, it all started to make sense. The Cowboys just signed their franchise quarterback, Tony Romo, to a gigantic contract extension. When you do that, you're inclined to build up the offense around him. And by taking an interior lineman in the first round and a pair of dynamic passing-game weapons in the second and third, that's what the Cowboys were up to in the early part of the 2013 draft.

Recall the common complaints about the Cowboys' offense. (The non-Romo ones, if you will.) It's unimaginative. It stalls in the red zone. It doesn't have a reliable No. 3 wide receiver, and its No. 2, Miles Austin, is always hurt. The picks of Escobar and Williams address all of that. Escobar is a considerably better player than James Hanna, last season's sixth-round pick, and the ability to put him on the field along with Witten will offer the Cowboys options they didn't have on offense last season. Escobar is a reliable pass-catcher who can outfight defenders for the ball in traffic, and that will serve him and the Cowboys well up and down the field, but especially in the red zone. Williams is a big-play outside receiver who allows them to use Austin in the slot when they go three wide and can be a game-breaker if teams overcommit to Dez Bryant on the other side. They have found fresh options that offer more variety for an offense that too often limits its quarterback's options in key spots. And by taking the lineman first, they've helped shore up Romo's protection, as well.

Some wanted a running back, but you can always get one of those, and there are still plenty on the board with four rounds to go. Some wanted a tackle or a guard, and I couldn't have argued if they wanted to overaddress the line. But you're more likely to find a usable offensive lineman in the fourth or fifth round than you are to find a big-play tight end or receiver there. Eric Winston and others remain on the free-agent market as possible answers at tackle. They did something about the line with their first pick, and the opportunity to do more exists for them.

Some wanted defense in the second round -- a three-technique defensive tackle or a playmaking safety. They ended up with a physical safety in J.J. Wilcox with their original third-round pick, and they like what he offers in terms of upside. But the basic theory with the Cowboys defense appears to be that the changes on the coaching staff, the switch to a 4-3 front and improved health will deliver improvement. They lost six defensive starters to injury last season, and if those guys all come back and thrive in their new 4-3 roles, those are their big additions on defense.

No, spending the early part of the draft on help for Romo was a completely worthwhile choice of priorities for the Cowboys, who came out of the first three rounds with three offensive players they like and can find multiple ways to use (plus that new safety). They're focused on putting Romo and coach Jason Garrett in the best possible position to succeed by expanding the boundaries of the offense's capabilities from play to play and week to week. If you're Romo and Garrett right now, you're thinking up new plays and personnel formations that weren't available to you last season when Bryant, Austin and Witten were your only reliable pass-catchers, and you're excited.

The draft is about hope that things will get better. A look back at the first three rounds offers the Cowboys a number of ways to imagine a more fun and productive offense. It doesn't really matter how it started or how they got here. So far, the Cowboys have to feel as though they're having a pretty good draft.

IRVING, Texas -- What will be different this time that the Cowboys drafted a tight end in the second round to complement perennial Pro Bowler Jason Witten?

That’s not a rhetorical question. Jerry Jones really pressed Jason Garrett on the issue before taking San Diego State’s Gavin Escobar with the 47th overall pick.

“We literally by taking him had to look at each other in the draft room and say to Jason, ‘Are we going to be different because of him? Does this add a dimension?’” Jones said. “Not that we came in to be different, but if we take him to have these three tight ends with (James) Hanna and Witten, are we going to be doing some things differently that we haven’t done before?

“The answer is yes.”

Two good reasons to be skeptical: Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett. Under Garrett’s coaching, neither of the Cowboys’ last two second-round tight ends emerged as significant weapons in the passing game until they left Valley Ranch.

If that’s the case with Escobar, the Cowboys will have wasted another second-round pick. The Cowboys coveted the 6-foot-5 7/8, 254-pounder because of his receiving ability, certainly not because of his average-at-best blocking.

This comes down to whether Garrett can be creative enough to utilize Escobar’s talent in an offense that also features Witten, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, DeMarco Murray and now third-round receiver Terrance Williams.

“We never got where we wanted to go with Martellus,” Jones said. “For whatever the reason, we didn’t get there.”

Bennett didn’t score a touchdown in his final three seasons with the Cowboys, basically becoming a glorified tackle-eligible. Valley Ranch folks point out that Garrett’s scheme wasn’t necessarily at fault for Bennett’s lack of production.

“Some of the things we tried to do with Martellus we couldn’t get done because we just couldn’t get it working,” Jones said. “I mean, we had packages we worked at for weeks out here sometimes to get packages in games and then he didn’t show. It sounds negative toward him, but he didn’t show.

“So having said that, we welcome the opportunity to add a real tight end, a New England-type emphasis.”

The hope is that Escobar can fill Aaron Hernandez’s role as the second tight end who often lines up in the slot or as an outside receiver.

Garrett said Escobar plays much faster than his unimpressive 4.84 40 time. That’s supported by the fact that Escobar had the best 20-yard shuttle (4.31), 60-yard shuttle (11.86) and three-cone drill (7.07) among tight ends at the combine.

Combine that athleticism with Escobar’s soft hands and ability to fight for the ball in traffic, and the Cowboys believe they’ve added another weapon for Tony Romo. Of course, we heard the same thing when they selected Bennett in 2008.

“Are we going to do the kinds of things necessary to invest that kind of pick?” Jones said. “We are.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Cowboys will do much new from a scheme standpoint. As Garrett pointed out, he’s always preferred to use a lot of multi-tight end formations.

“We’ve used the 12 personnel group a lot over the years, maybe as much as any team in the league,” said Garrett, who used those personnel groups much less after Bennett left in free agency before last season. “This is a guy who can really come in and make a difference for us at that tight end spot opposite Witt. We feel Witt is arguably as good a tight end in the National Football League. He has so many strengths.

“When you can add somebody else at the tight end position with this guy’s length, athleticism and pass-catching ability to go along with our outside receivers, it can be a challenging personnel group for defenses to handle.”

Escobar needs to develop as a blocker – something the Cowboys think will happens as a result of his work in the strength and conditioning program – but the hope is his presence will provide an immediate boost to a running game that ranked last in the NFC last season. The logic: Teams will be forced to play a lot of nickel defense to account for him as a receiving threat, making it easier to run the ball.

The Cowboys were dreadful running the ball out of two-tight end sets last season, averaging 2.7 yards on 120 carries, a drop from 4.2 yards a pop on 225 carries the previous season.

That’s proof that the Cowboys actually missed Bennett last season, as disappointing as his Dallas tenure was.

But the hope is that Escobar will make the Cowboys’ previous second-round tight ends distant memories, not continue the trend. The heat is on Garrett to make it happen.

IRVING, Texas -- As far as Jerry Jones is concerned, his first-round trade-down deal was further justified Friday night.

The Cowboys took Baylor wide receiver Terrance Williams with the No. 74 overall pick, which they acquired from the San Francisco 49ers along with No. 31 (Wisconsin center Travis Frederick) in exchange for the 18th pick.

Jones wanted to make sure the media knew that Williams was way higher than 74th on the Cowboys’ draft board.

For that matter, Jones said that the Cowboys considered San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar a bargain with the 47th overall pick.

“If you look at those first three picks, if you could see our draft boards, you could see beginning in the early 20s those first three picks right there within about four of each other,” Jones said. “Those first three on our draft board are right there in that early-twenty area.”

Frederick, whom Jones refers to as “a foundation in the middle” of the offensive line, was No. 22 on the Cowboys’ board. Escobar and Williams were actually in the mid-20s. The Cowboys gave 19 players first-round grades, so they considered their top three picks all high second-round talents.

IRVING, Texas -- Gavin Escobar, the Cowboys' second-round pick, dismissed the notion he didn't start every game the past two seasons at San Diego State.

Escobar, who elected to enter the draft after his redshirt junior season, started 11 games the past two seasons. He didn't have great overall numbers, including his 543 receiving yards as a junior, but he picked up 13 touchdowns over the two-season span.

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"It's all based on the scheme," Escobar said when asked about his lack of starts. "There's different packages I might be in, and, also, the start of the game might not really be the tight end is playing the majority of the downs."

When Escobar decided to enter the draft, NFL scouts told his college coach, Rocky Long, he was projected to go in the third round. At the time, Long said of Escobar's decision to the San Diego Union-Tribune: "I never know if it’s a good or bad decision. I let the young man and his family decide. I gave him my opinion and want him to make that decision. I told him we wanted him to come back and the benefits of coming back, but families do a good job of deciding these things."

Escobar did finish his career leading the team in receiving in 2012, and his 17 career touchdowns placed him 11th on the school's all-time list. Escobar also became the 26th player in school history to register 100 receptions during a career.

"It was a great journey this last season," Escobar said. "We finished as co-champions [of the Mountain West conference], and I had a great time. A lot of good players, they like using tight ends, so it was great for me."

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' newly drafted second-round tight end, Gavin Escobar from San Diego State, said he hopes to one day replace the team's Jason Witten.

"I'm always striving to be a complete tight end like Jason Witten," Escobar said Friday night in a conference call with reporters. "If I'm able to take over his role once he's gone, that would be amazing."

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In three seasons at San Diego State, Escobar caught 122 passes for 1,646 yards with 17 touchdowns. He had just 11 starts the past two seasons but picked up 13 touchdowns.

Escobar is considered a pass-catching tight end, which matches up with the current roster of James Hanna and Witten. There was a thought the Cowboys would get a blocking tight end, something they haven't had since Martellus Bennett was on the roster.

"Right now, I just need to get bigger and work on the run game more," Escobar said. "That's one main thing I need to excel on to be a complete tight end, a three-down tight end."

IRVING, Texas -- Can Gavin Escobar do what Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett couldn’t?

For the third time since 2006, the Cowboys have selected a tight end in the second round.

Fasano was the 53rd overall pick in 2006 but lasted only two seasons before he was traded to Miami. He caught 28 passes in two seasons.

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The Cowboys took Bennett in 2008 with the 61st pick, and he never lived up to the expectations.

Now, they are going with Escobar, considered a pass-catching tight end, to play behind Jason Witten.

Fasano and Bennett were able to find more success elsewhere in part because Witten never came off the field to allow them playing time while with the Cowboys.

Can the Cowboys design their offense in a similar way to how New England uses Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez?

If they don’t, then this pick comes with a lot of questions. If they do, then it makes some sense.

Witten, who is entering his 11th season, is coming off an NFL record for catches in a season by a tight end (110) and was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time.