Draft History: 2001

IRVING – The Cowboys fell in love with Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter at the NFL scouting combine in February.

They loved his athleticism. And his mobility. And his arm strength.

And that's why they selected him with their first pick - the 53rd overall – in the NFL draft, which began Saturday.

"No matter what quarterback was on the board, other than Michael Vick, we were drafting Quincy Carter," owner Jerry Jones said. "Quincy will need the benefit of working and learning behind a veteran like Tony Banks.

"He knows it's in his best interest not to be tossed into the fray immediately. I thought we made a mistake by rushing Troy Aikman his rookie year, and we all paid a price for that."

Dallas used its other two draft picks on Saturday to select Alabama safety Tony Dixon in the second round (56th overall) and Mississippi State defensive tackle Willie Blade (90th overall) in the third round.

The draft continues on Sunday at 10 a.m. with rounds four through seven.

Many experts said Carter would be selected between the third and fifth rounds, in part, because he struggled as a junior.

Last season, Carter completed 49.7 percent of his passes for 1,250 yards with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He threw five interceptions in a loss to South Carolina.

A separated shoulder and a broken right thumb forced him to miss four games.

"When I first started this thing 3-4 months ago, people were saying I'd be drafted in the sixth or seventh round because of the type of season I had," Carter said. "But I think Mr. Jerry Jones and the rest of the coaching staff believe in me and know the kind of talent I have. I'm ready to work hard to be the kind of quarterback they want me to be."

Jones said the Cowboys wanted to trade down as far as they could in the second round as long as they could still pick Carter. Jones said he also selected Carter because the Cowboys did not see a franchise quarterback in next year's draft.

Dallas traded its second round pick (37th overall) to Indianapolis for a second (52nd overall) and a third (81st). Then Dallas traded the pick it acquired from Indianapolis to Miami for its second (56th overall) and a fourth (122nd overall).

Finally, Dallas traded a second (56th) and a third (81st) to New Orleans for a second (53rd overall) that it used to pick Carter.

Jones and coach Dave Campo made it clear that Tony Banks, who signed a one-year deal worth $500,000 that did not include a signing bonus, is the club's starter. Jones said he would like Carter to spend at least one season learning the NFL game from the sideline.

"We felt with his skills that anyone interested in him would wait past the second round," Jones said. "Our skill grades had him much higher than that.

"We felt like this was an opportunity, without having a No. 1 pick, to get a player with superior skills. It's a pick for the future."

Although Carter is mobile, he looks to throw first, which excited the Cowboys. He's also good at throwing the deep ball, which is going to have an important role in the Cowboys' offense this season.

"The way the league is going, the ability to move in the pocket is extremely important, but we would not have sacrificed accuracy for that," Campo said. "Quincy is a 57 percent passer throwing the ball downfield. That's every bit as good as being a 65 percent passer and not throwing the ball more than 20 yards."