IRVING, Texas (AP) – Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones wasn’t bluffing when he said running back wouldn’t be a top priority in the draft even though the Cowboys lost NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray in free agency.
The Cowboys kept the focus on defense early on the final day of the draft Saturday, taking linebacker Damien Wilson of Minnesota in the fourth round and defensive end Ryan Russell of Purdue in the fifth. Dallas had two remaining picks, both in the seventh round.
Four of Dallas’ top five choices were on defense, starting with Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones in the first round at No. 27 overall and followed by Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory in the second round. The only choice on offense was tackle Chaz Green of Florida in the third round.
After losing Murray to NFC East rival Philadelphia, the Cowboys signed Darren McFadden, a former top 10 pick by Oakland. He had just one 1,000-yard season in seven years with the Raiders. Dallas returns third-year back Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar, an undrafted free agent going into his fourth season.
The Cowboys also have Ryan Williams, a second-round pick by Arizona in 2011. He was on Dallas’ practice squad last season and has battled injuries throughout his career.
”We’re doing well enough that we have not felt hostage at running back relative to the draft,” Jerry Jones said Friday night, after the second and third rounds. ”We’re drafting at positions, and we’re drafting players that are more important to us than running back.”
Wilson, who started 24 of 26 games in two seasons with the Gophers after transferring from Jones County Community College in Mississippi, was the 127th overall pick Saturday.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Wilson was first-team all-Big Ten in 2014 after leading Minnesota with 119 tackles, including 10 1/2 tackles for loss.
Dallas went into the draft in decent shape at linebacker by re-signing Rolando McClain after he revived his career with a solid season. Sean Lee returns after missing last year with a torn knee ligament. But the Cowboys lost starters Bruce Carter and Justin Durant in free agency.
It’s the second straight year Dallas took a Big Ten linebacker in the fourth round. Last year, it was Iowa’s Anthony Hitchens, who ended up starting 11 games and played all the linebacker spots as the Cowboys battled injuries.
”We didn’t really talk about how they would use me too much,” Wilson said. ”They just said it was good to develop how to play all three positions just in case we need to switch it up.”
The 6-7, 270-pound Russell, who went to high school in the Dallas area, started 35 of 38 games for the Boilermakers.
The Cowboys have taken four defensive ends in the two drafts since releasing franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware last season. They traded up to get DeMarcus Lawrence early in the second round last year, and took Stanford’s Ben Gardner in the seventh round. Lawrence missed the first half of the season with a broken foot and Gardner didn’t play because of a shoulder injury.
Dallas lost ends George Selvie and Anthony Spencer in free agency, and Jeremy Mincey returns for a season. Mincey has the ability to play on the interior defensive front.
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