Draft History: 2004

IRVING – The Cowboys achieved their top goal Saturday on the first day of the 69th annual NFL draft: They traded down and picked up two additional draft choices, including Buffalo's No. 1 pick in 2005.

And they still managed to draft a running back and address their needs on the offensive line.

The Cowboys picked Notre Dame running back Julius Jones and USC tackle Jacob Rogers in the second round before selecting LSU guard Stephen Peterman in the third round.

The selection of Peterman, however, should not be construed as an indication that Dallas is planning to trade or release Pro Bowl guard Larry Allen, who is not participating in the club's off-season training program.

Jerry Jones, who has said he will not release Allen, said he didn't think the club would trade him if it didn't occur on the draft's first day.

The draft continues today at 10 a.m. The Cowboys have a fourth-round pick and two fifth-round selections.

Although the Cowboys didn't select one of the draft's top three runners – Oregon State's Steven Jackson, Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones or Michigan's Chris Perry – they did acquire a player who intrigued coach Bill Parcells.

Dallas selected Jones, who has worn No. 22 since he was a kid, in the second round with the 43rd overall pick. It marked the highest Dallas had selected a running back since picking Sherman Williams in the second round of the 1995 draft.

The Cowboys picked Jones, in part, because Buffalo gave them an offer that was too good to refuse.

About 90 minutes before the Cowboys were supposed to make their first-round pick, Buffalo president/GM Tom Donahoe phoned the Cowboys and talked about giving Dallas its first-round pick next year in exchange for the 22nd pick Saturday.

Eventually, Donahoe offered Dallas second- and fifth-round picks in this draft and the first-round pick in 2005.

After making the deal, Jerry Jones and Parcells each smiled broadly as they stepped out of the draft room to munch on brisket, sausage and fajitas.

"They baited the trap with cheese," Jones said of the Bills' offer.

Parcells said there's no guarantee a running back will succeed in the NFL no matter where he's drafted, making it easier to pass on Jackson and Kevin Jones.

"In my experience, the running back position in the early picks has one of the highest rates of failure," Parcells said. "The best running back I ever coached [Curtis Martin] is a player we got in the third round."

The Cowboys liked Jackson and Kevin Jones, but didn't think either player was substantially better than Julius Jones.

"The running back position can be hit or miss," Jerry Jones said.

Jones (5-10, 217) should give Parcells the solid ball-control running game he craves to take pressure off quarterback Quincy Carter and control the clock.

Jones rushed for 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. He surpassed 200 yards three times for an offense that had a poor passing attack.

Jones and Rogers were two of 12 players who met with club officials last week. When Jones met Parcells, the coach told him that there was a good chance Dallas would select him in the second round.

"Is he part of a committee? Is he the featured guy in a committee? Is he the featured guy? I don't know," Parcells said of Jones. "I hope he can be what I want him to be."

Dallas has been without a 1,000-yard rusher since 2001.

Last season, Troy Hambrick had three 100-yard games, including a 187-yard performance against Washington in December, but there were too many times when he slipped in the hole. Or didn't see the hole.

Jones should solve those issues.

He's strong enough to run between the tackles and quick enough to turn the corner on the perimeter. He can make defenders miss in close quarters, has good enough speed to make long runs and catches the ball well.

But he never carried the ball more than 168 times at Notre Dame until last fall, and he missed the 2002 season because he was academically ineligible.

"When they had a chance to take Steven Jackson and Kevin Jones and all of those other people," he said, "I thought something might be going on in my favor.

"Obviously they wanted to get me. I have something to prove to a lot of people."

E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com