Draft History: 2004

IRVING – The Cowboys, who spent much of the NFL draft's second day wheeling and dealing, continued to construct a team in coach Bill Parcells' image.

The Cowboys executed three trades, giving them two additional picks and allowing them to spend the day improving their depth at cornerback by selecting Georgia's Bruce Thornton (fourth round), Rutgers' Nate Jones (seventh) and Purdue's Jacques Reeves (seventh), a Lancaster High School graduate.

Dallas also selected Boston College tight end Sean Ryan (fifth round) and Northwestern Oklahoma State receiver Patrick Crayton (seventh round), a DeSoto graduate. The Cowboys also acquired fullback Darian Barnes when they swapped seventh-round picks with Tampa Bay.

Before the draft, owner Jerry Jones said he wanted to wind up with three starters. For now, it looks like the Cowboys have two: running back Julius Jones and right tackle Jacob Rogers.

Third-round pick Stephen Peterman will compete with right guard Andre Gurode, a second-rounder in 2002, for a starting job.

Jones said he expects Pro Bowl guard Larry Allen, who was on the trading block, to remain with the team. Jones said Allen, who is not participating in the club's voluntary off-season training program, would not be released if the Cowboys can't trade him.

"Our goal today was to utilize the extra pick we got yesterday and get more picks," Jones said. "We recognized the value so much that this was the thing to do."

In the Cowboys' second draft with Parcells as head coach, it's easy to see the imprint he's putting on the franchise.

Look no further than the selection of Ryan in the fifth round.

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The Cowboys have quality tight ends in Jason Witten and Dan Campbell, but Parcells loves formations with two tight ends.

That's because it gives balance to the offensive line while making it more difficult for the defense to discern which side the play is designed to go. Ryan gives Dallas a quality backup while adding size.

He should also take away some of Witten's blocking duties.

Parcells believes championships are won with a ball-control attack that wears down opponents in the fourth quarter.

Dallas, which went 10-6 and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, was 9-4 went it had an edge in time of possession and 8-2 when it rushed for more than 100 yards.

Still, the Cowboys struggled to run the ball consistently.

Parcells and Jones hope that drafting Jones (Notre Dame) and Rogers (Southern Cal) in the second round Peterman (LSU) in the third will make Dallas more physical at the point of attack.

"The fact that we drafted Witten last year and Sean Ryan this year, along with Campbell, might be a sign of things to come with this offense and the physical nature of what we're trying to do," Jones said.

NFC East rival Philadelphia has added receiver Terrell Owens and defensive end Jevon Kearse to its roster. Washington has added Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis and made safety Sean Taylor the first defensive player drafted.

The New York Giants traded for prized rookie quarterback Eli Manning, the first player selected in the draft.

Jones, though, doesn't believe those moves give the Cowboys' rivals an edge over his team.

Besides, he likes what Dallas is building in the future.

He can see the Cowboys slowly accumulating key pieces that will play important roles when this team is ready to make a run deep into the playoffs.

"Some of the bigger names don't always come in and play because it takes time to get acclimated," Jones said. "They don't always immediately help those teams, so I'm not going to say that because some teams drafted marquee names they're going to make an impact. The whole off-season has to be looked at."

E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com

TRADING PLACES

Here's a look at the four trades the Cowboys made during the two-day draft:

COWBOYS-BUFFALO

Cowboys get: 2nd round (43 overall), 5th round (144 overall), 1st-round pick in 2005 draft. Buffalo gets: 1st round (22 overall).

COWBOYS-NEW ORLEANS

Cowboys get: 6th round (182 overall), 7th round (206 overall). New Orleans gets: 5th round (156 overall).

COWBOYS-OAKLAND

Cowboys get: 7th round (205 overall), 7th round (223 overall). Oakland gets: 6th round (182 overall).

COWBOYS-TAMPA BAY

Cowboys get: 7th round (216 overall), FB Darian Barnes. Tampa Bay gets: 7th round (206 overall).