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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.

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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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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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**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 NFL Draft can be such a farce. Really, it can.

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There is so much analysis beforehand that teams, draftniks, media and fans can just about over-think anything.

As Jason Garrett walked out of the press conference Thursday night, I asked him, ‘Why can’t it just be as simple as taking the best guy available on your board?

Now I know there are shades of gray in everything, but this is a team that held firm on Tyron Smith at No. 9 in 2011 and didn’t take first- and second-round picks from Jacksonville and then traded up to get Morris Claiborne last year by giving up their second round pick.

There is no doubt Sharrif Floyd was the highest player available on the Cowboys board when they picked at No. 18. There is no doubt defensive line was/is a need for this team. Would Floyd be a perfect fit? Maybe not. But to hear the talk of short arms and a lack of a pass rush since the Cowboys didn’t take him, why did they have him so high on their board?

Anyway, back to my question to Garrett. Here’s his response:

“You can absolutely do that and we’ve done that in the past,” Garrett said. “And we just felt in this situation we saw the different people who were available to you and what we might be able to get for moving down, so we just felt really positive about that. At the end of the day you evaluate the pick we made, Travis Frederick, plus the third rounder that we got versus who we would get at 18. We feel like this draft is pretty rich in the second round and third round and feel like that additional pick can really help our football team.”

IRVING, Texas – Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, considered by many a top-five talent, fell right into the Cowboys’ laps at No. 18 overall.

The Cowboys responded by trading down, opting to take the Nos. 31 and 74 picks from the San Francisco 49ers instead of taking the defensive tackle.

“We were unanimous that it was the smart thing to do to trade down,” owner/general manager Jerry Jones said. Coach Jason Garrett publicly agreed, although his body language in the war room seemed to tell a different tale.

Why not just stay put and take Floyd?

“We feel like, first of all, defensive line is a position of strength for us,” Jones said. “Number two, in our system, we probably would put a premium on quick-twitch potential three-technique. We view him as not that, but certainly capable of getting there.”

The Cowboys’ top two defensive tackles are 31-year-old Jay Ratliff and 30-year-old Jason Hatcher, who is entering the last season of his contract. Their depth at defensive tackle: four-year veteran Sean Lissemore; Brian Price, a former second-round pick who is trying to earn a roster spot after injuries and personal issues derailed his career in Tampa Bay; and a few unproven young players.

The “quick-twitch” knock on Floyd could be construed as questioning his pass-rush ability after he racked up only 4.5 sacks during his college career. Floyd, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd overall pick, is considered to be extraordinarily explosive for a 297-pound man.

IRVING, Texas – Accumulating draft picks is not a bad strategy.

Passing on a player that was highly rated in the first round, like Sharrif Floyd, is perplexing. Clearly there is something about Floyd that has turned teams off or he would not have fallen this far.

But the Cowboys did not get equal value in return for their trade with San Francisco. They Cowboys dropped from No. 18 to No. 31 and picked up the 74th pick, the first of the Niners’ two third-round selections.

The trade charts give San Francisco a big edge. The Cowboys could have received the Niners’ second-rounder in return.

By moving down, the Cowboys passed on Floyd, who went to Minnesota at No. 23, but also lost out on three targets they liked in safety Eric Reid, whom San Francisco took, guard/tackle Justin Pugh (New York Giants) and guard Kyle Long (Chicago). They also liked tight end Tyler Eifert, who went to Cincinnati with the 21st pick.

The art of moving down didn’t seem to favor the Cowboys here.

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys made their 60th draft day trade under owner/general manager Jerry Jones on Thursday night.

The Cowboys switched spots with San Francisco, moving from No. 18 to No. 31 in the first round. The Cowboys also acquired a third-round pick, the 74th overall selection.

The 49ers drafted LSU safety Eric Reid with the 18th pick of the first round.

Dallas was interested in several players, including Sheldon Richardson, Kenny Vaccaro, Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper, but those players were off the board by the time the Cowboys' turn came to pick.

However, the Cowboys left highly-regarded Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and defensive tackle Sylvester Williams on the board.

The Cowboys have two third-round picks, 74th and 80 overall.

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. 5 defensive lineman: Sharrif Floyd

Position: Defensive tackle

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 297 pounds

School: Florida

Why he’s on the radar: To get Floyd, the Cowboys would have to trade up in the first round, like they did last year to acquire Morris Claiborne. It might be a high asking price, but Floyd could be the perfect fit in Monte Kiffin’s defense. He plays with power and moves well. There’s some thought Floyd might be too much of a tease, but line coach Rod Marinelli is considered one of the best in the business and should be able to get the most out of him.

Projection: First round

Stretch Truths: For a big man, Floyd has excellent speed and agility. He ran the 40 in 4.92 seconds. ... He is an excellent 3 technique in a 4-3 defense. ... This kid is a three-down player. ... Great hands. Can punch and shed. ... Gets penetration with a quick first step. ... Athletic, can change direction. ... His only weakness is he is a little high-cut and not a big bull-rush inside tackle.