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As he continues his review of last week's NFL draft, Mel Kiper Jr. has a list of players taken in rounds 4 through 7 who he thinks could make an impact this season. One Dallas Cowboys pick was mentioned.

Dallas Cowboys

-Joseph Randle, RB, fifth round: Mel calls him the second-most talented running back on the Cowboys' roster after injury-prone starter DeMarco Murray. If that's not a recipe for touches ...

IRVING, Texas -- Over the last few years, the Cowboys have had draft picks who weren't ready to start practicing come rookie minicamp.

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

Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Matt Johnson and Morris Claiborne were just some of the players whose careers were delayed by either post-college surgeries or an early injury in camp.

This class doesn't appear to have those issues, other than running back Joseph Randle, who has a thumb injury. But he will wear a brace and participate in the rookie minicamp in two weeks.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said that Randle most likely won't catch any passes but should be fine for training camp.

The Cowboys can't afford to deal with any more injured draft picks. It's one thing to get hurt once you start working for the Cowboys, but it's another having to deal with an injury before turning pro.

The Cowboys front office talked a lot over the weekend about how the seven draft picks could become starters at some point. The pressure on center Travis Frederick is great because of the Cowboys' decision to trade down in the draft and and acquire an extra third-rounder rather than a second-round pick.

The rest of the 2013 class can morph into a starting role in the future, but there's no pressure to do so now. However, becoming major contributors in 2013 is important to the success of the Cowboys.

In order to do that, this class has to remain healthy.

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.

PODCAST
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.

Mel Kiper Jr.'s draft grades are in. Let's take a look at his assessments of the NFC East's teams.

Philadelphia Eagles: B+

Mel gives the Eagles a B for needs and an A for value, especially liking top pick Lane Johnson and second-rounder Zach Ertz.

New York Giants: C+

They get a C for needs and a B for value, with Mel downgrading them for failing to address cornerback or linebacker.

Dallas Cowboys: C+

He gave them a B for needs and a C-minus for value. He's consistent with the popular opinion that they could have had first-rounder Travis Frederick much later, but he likes the middle- and late-round picks, especially running back Joseph Randle and safety J.J. Wilcox.

Washington Redskins: C+

They got a B-minus for needs and a C for value, and Mel says he bumped them up a bit because last year's Robert Griffin III trade included this year's first-round pick.

My take: I might have graded the Cowboys and Redskins a bit better -- Dallas because I'm not as down on the Frederick pick as a lot of people are. But I agree on the Eagles and Giants. We'll discuss these in much greater depth in the coming days.

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.”

PODCAST
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 – When Terrance Williams, Joseph Randle and DeVonte Holloman return in two weeks for the Cowboys’ rookie mini-camp they won’t have to take long to get re-acquainted with the area.

Williams, a Dallas native anyway, Randle and Holloman spent their time before the draft training at Athletes Performance in Frisco.

“I know them very well,” said Holloman, the sixth-round pick. “Terrance is a real cool dude and so is Joe.”

The workouts got spirited with some friendly trash talking.

“We’ll find a way to get it settled in rookie camp,” Holloman said.

In a way they were teammates in the offseason, and now they are teammates for real.

“We never did, but we were real close and we’re good friends and this is a dream come true,” Randle said.

IRVING, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle in the fifth round on Saturday afternoon, team officials felt they found a quality backup to starter DeMarco Murray.

More importantly, if Murray goes down with an injury, he missed six games last season with a foot injury, the Cowboys believe Randle would take over the starting role.

And that a special teams role, which normally goes to one of the backup running backs, wouldn't be a role for Randle.

"We pictured him as the second running back behind Murray," owner/general manager Jerry Jones said. "It's the third running back that you dress on game day that participates on special teams. You can make a big case in this day and time that your second running back is going to take snaps and be apart of what (Jason Garrett) described here; out of the backfield, blocking all the things we think he mirrors to Murray."

Added Garrett: "We also feel like he's a guy who can get bigger and stronger."

Randle has a thumb injury that will force him to wear a brace over his hand. He will be available for the rookie minicamp in two weeks but won't be able to catch passes because of the injury. Cowboys' officials say they don't believe the injury is serious enough for him to miss any offseason workouts or training camp.

The addition of Randle raises questions about the other backup running backs: Phillip Tanner and Lance Dunbar (Haltom City, Texas). The Cowboys have placed a higher value on Dunbar because of his ability to play special teams and become a change-of-pace back.

Tanner is similar to Randle and Murray and his roster spot is shaky.

"The NFL is a two-back system now, so guys need other guys to come in and you don’t want to drop the tempo off much, so I think we’ll work well together," Randle said of him and Murray. "I’m just going to come in and work hard and see where that gets me."

IRVING, Texas – Joseph Randle left Oklahoma State with a year of eligibility remaining and slid to the fifth round to the Cowboys.

He was more pleased to be selected by the Cowboys than disappointed that he was selected so late.

“I will use it as fuel to my fire and work harder and remember this day that all these teams passed up on me and stuff like that,” Randle said. “Right now’s not the time but definitely when I hit the weight room again I’m going to be hungry and determined to show my worth and value.”

The immediate value to the Cowboys is as a backup to DeMarco Murray. Randle was productive with 42 career touchdowns, 3,085 yards rushing and 917 receiving yards.

“Being versatile,” Randle said when asked for the best part of his game. “I do everything well, running blocking. I take pride in my blocking, take pride in being able to catch and pride in making tough yards and making people miss one on one. That’s just my game in a nutshell right there.”

Pick: Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle, No. 151 overall

Pros: A good north-and-south runner with above average speed who does a nice job eluding defenders. He also is an excellent pass catcher out of the backfield and displayed an ability to block well in pass protection.

Cons: Had a fumbling problem early in his career but seemed to solve it in 2012. Randle doesn't have a strong lower body, something that needs work in the weight room.

Cowboy fit: The Cowboys have talked about finding a solid backup for DeMarco Murray because of some durability issues. Randle adds competition to the position and while the Cowboys like Lance Dunbar, it could mean the end for Philip Tanner. The Cowboys want their backup running backs to play special teams and it will be interesting to see if Randle can handle that aspect of the job.

Could have had: DE Stansly Maponga, TCU; TE Luke Wilson, Rice; DT Josh Boyd, Miss. St.; FB Zach Line, SMU.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys returned to the offensive side of the ball by taking Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle with their fifth-round selection.

Randle led the Big 12 in rushing last season with 1,417 yards on 274 carries and had 14 touchdowns.

The Cowboys filled a need with Randle as a backup to DeMarco Murray.

Entering the draft, the Cowboys had Phillip Tanner and Lance Tanner as Murray’s backup and the club has not expressed a desire to retain free agent Felix Jones. Murray has missed nine games in his first two seasons because of injuries.

Randle has a similar build to Murray and the Cowboys were in the market for an every-down back than a niche back because of Murray’s durability issues. Randle did not miss a game at Oklahoma State, starting the final 26 games.

Like Travis Frederick, Terrance Williams, J.J. Wilcox and B.W. Webb, Randle was a pre-draft visitor to Valley Ranch.

IRVING, Texas – Over the last few years, the Cowboys’ top-30 visitors before the draft have been a good indicator into who they end up selecting.

PODCAST
Nate Newton went undrafted in 1983, but he still feels like he was part of one of the greatest draft classes in league history. Newton joins Fitzsimmons and Durrett to discuss his draft experience from 30 years ago and his journey to three rings. Listen

Guys like Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Tyrone Crawford and Matt Johnson, among others, visited Valley Ranch and ended up getting picked by the team.

Here is the list of this year’s invites to keep handy for the next three days:

S Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International
S Eric Reid, LSU
G Chance Warmack, Alabama
RB Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State
RB Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
DL Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
RB Knile Davis, Arkansas
G Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina
OL Justin Pugh, Syracuse
DT Kawann Short, Purdue
DT Jordan Hill, Penn State
C Travis Frederick, Wisconsin
S Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
LB Sio Moore, Connecticut
LB Gerald Hodges, Penn State
CB B.W Webb, William & Mary
WR Charles Johnson, Grand Valley State
RB Giovani Bernard, North Carolina
OL Kyle Long, Oregon
S J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern
LB Brandon Magee, Arizona State
TE D.C. Jefferson, Rutgers
TE Dion Sims, Michigan State
WR Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
S Jakar Hamilton, South Carolina State
DT Bennie Logan, LSU

To help preview who might be on the Dallas Cowboys’ board for the NFL draft, ESPNDallas.com has identified five players at five key positions that we’d like to learn more about. Along those lines, we’ve asked former Cowboys assistant coach Glenn “Stretch” Smith – the official scout of Galloway & Company – to study tape of each player and give his thoughts.

No. 2 running back: Joseph Randle

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 204 pounds

School: Oklahoma State

Why he’s on the radar: With durability issues regarding starter DeMarco Murray, the Cowboys are seeking quality backups in case of injury. Randle isn't the fastest running back in the draft -- posting 40 times of 4.54, 4.60 and 4.63 -- but he's a quality runner and led the Big 12 with 1,417 rushing yards last season. Randle (14 touchdowns in 2012) is a physical runner and can catch passes out of the backfield, making him an option on passing downs.

Projection: Second or third round

Stretch Truths: Is a straight-line back who runs upright and does not show a top-end gear. … Has good hands and runs good backfield routes. … Has adequate punch and pop as a pass blocker. … Because of his upright style, he needs to be in a zone scheme. … Overall opinion: I don't see him as a tough north/south back.

PODCAST
Stretch Smith takes Galloway & Company around the NFL, discussing quarterback moves, Tony Romo's contract and Chip Kelly's first season. Listen

IRVING, Texas – It is no secret that the Cowboys need help along the offensive and defensive lines and at safety entering the NFL draft, so it’s not surprising the team is meeting with some of the best available at those positions this week at Valley Ranch.

With the draft three weeks away, the Cowboys are scheduled to meet with 28 national prospects, including offensive linemen Chance Warmack (Alabama), Jonathan Cooper (North Carolina), Jonathan Pugh (Syracuse) and Travis Frederick (Wisconsin), safeties Kenny Vaccaro (Texas), Jonathan Cyprien (Florida International) and Eric Reid (LSU) and defensive linemen Sheldon Richardson (Missouri) and Kawann Short (Purdue).

Among the other players visiting are Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Fresno State safety Phillip Thomas, running backs Knile Davis (Arkansas), Joseph Randle (Oklahoma State) and Le’Veon Bell (Michigan State) and defensive tackle Jordan Hill (Penn State).