Though the Cowboys' glaring need heading into the NFL Draft was at running back with DeMarco Murray now in Philadelphia, they chose instead to help their defensive secondary with their first-round pick.
The Cowboys selected Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones 27th overall to mend their defense that ranked seventh from the bottom in total defense last season.
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At 6-1, 200 pounds, Jones is an athletic ball-hawk who defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli can deploy at either cornerback or safety, the position where Jones started his college career.
Jones jumped up draft boards after he recorded a world-record broad jump at the Combine to go along with a 44 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 4.36 40-yard dash he ran at his pro day last month.
The Cowboys selected corner Morris Claiborne in 2012, but the former sixth-overall pick has struggled in his transition to the NFL and has played in only 29 of a possible 50 games in three seasons. That was due in part because he suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury in his left knee just four games into the season last year.
While the Cowboys have been pleased with cornerback Brandon Carr, the 28-year-old carries $12.7 million against the cap in the third year of a five-year, $50.1 million contract. In fact, the Cowboys could save $8 million in cap space this season by making him a post-June 1 cut.