The Cowboys made a powerful statement when they passed on Brady Quinn with the No. 22 pick in the NFL draft Saturday.
Dallas traded out of the first round with Cleveland, then got back in to the first round and picked Anthony Spencer, the defensive end from Purdue.
Not only did the Cowboys make a commitment to Tony Romo at quarterback by leaving Quinn on the board, but they forewent an elite receiver in the first round.
A number of draft experts had Dallas looking at a wide receiver in the first round because veterans Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens will be in their mid-30s when the 2007 season ends.
Owens is coming off a serious finger operation, and his return in 2007 is not guaranteed despite whatever he says. Also, he had an NFL-leading 17 dropped passes in 2007 and didn't know many of the offensive plays. Glenn is coming off a 1,000-yard-plus receiving year but had knee cap problems last season.
Then there's Patrick Crayton, the No. 3 receiver, who's in line to become an unrestricted free agent in 2008.
Dallas has two younger receivers who have impressed the coaching staff in Sam Hurd and Miles Austin.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he's confident in this group of receivers.
Even so, two receivers were high on the Cowboys' draft board: Robert Meachem of Tennessee and Dwayne Bowe of LSU.
The Cowboys had a shot at one of them after moving back into the first round. Probably fearing that an elite player wouldn't be around, Dallas traded with Philadelphia and acquired the No. 26 pick.
Bowe was off the board by then, having gone to Kansas City at No. 23. And the Cowboys passed on Meachem, instead choosing defense with the selection of Spencer.
Meachem went to New Orleans at No. 27.
"You can't be disappointed there," Jones said after the first day of the draft. The draft, he said, "is deep in receiver and we're not through."
The next time Dallas picked was in the third round. By then, another four receivers had been taken before the Cowboys used the 67th overall pick.
The Cowboys liked receivers Antony Gonzalez of Ohio State and Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett of Southern Cal, but they were gone. So the team picked Boston College tackle James Marten.
There were still plenty of receivers to pick from in the second day of the draft.
Dallas wound up doing the next best thing: It drafted a quarterback with the goal of turning him into a receiver/return man.
It was a gamble drafting Isaiah Stanback from Washington.
Stanback said he won't be ready until training camp while he recovers from surgery on his right foot. He just got a protective boot removed three months ago.
The Cowboys like his speed and hands. And the fact he's played quarterback gives him an edge in understanding the plays for not only wide receiver but for running back, quarterback and the offensive line.
Coach Wade Phillips wants Stanback to return punts, something he's never done.
"He's not advanced" as a receiver, "But sometimes you have to go on ability and intangibles. We think he has a chance to be an impact player, and you're always looking for those."
After Dallas drafted Stanback, 17 receivers were picked from Rounds 4 through 7.
Cleveland, in Dallas' now-traded spot at 234 in the seventh round, grabbed Syndric Steptoe from Arizona.
So when Romo tries to establish himself in 2007, just remember the receivers Jones bypassed during the draft and watch the production of the current group of wideouts.
