Cowboys Corner

Random Cowboys notes

[c] Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he plans to meet with guard Marco Rivera sometime this week.
Rivera is coming off surgery to repair a disc in his back for the second consecutive offseason. There is a good chance he will retire, or be waived.
Of course, this has been speculated on the moment the season ended and it hasn't happened yet.

[s] Yes the Cowboys already have a kicker in Martin Gramatica. But they drafted Nick Folk because of his superior leg strength. He may make the team as a kickoff guy. Former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells hated carrying two kickers, but Wade Phillips once had Morten Anderson so he's used to the idea.

[s] Don't be shocked if UConn fullback Deon Anderson makes the team. The Cowboys badly wanted a fullback, and Anderson fits the bill. Lousaka Polite has yet to distinguish himself here yet, and Oliver Hoyte is a linebacker by trade who tried to do his best at fullback last season.
Anderson is a fullback.

- Mac Engel

last picks

The Cowboys addressed their concerns at defensive back.

Of course, it took them until the final round but they did do it.

WIth their seventh round and final selection of the '07 draft, they drafted Illinois defensive back Alan Ball.

It looks as if not a single '07 Game 1 starter will come out of this draft.

- Mac Engel

Cowboys take cornerback

The Cowboys drafted Cal-Poly cornerback Courtney Brown with the 212th pick of the seventh round. Brown is a converted wide receiver and is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. Brown is a big corner and similar in size to starting corner Anthony Henry.

The Cowboys final pick of the draft will be No. 237.

Cowboys take kicker

The Cowboys drafted Arizona kicker Nick Folk with their first sixth round pick at No. 178. Dallas opted for Folk with Colorado kicker Mason Crosby still available when it picked.

Next pick for the Cowboys -- No. 200. In the seventh the Cowboys will have three picks.

Rookies are coming

The Cowboys will bring their rookies to Valley Ranch on May 12-14 (Saturday-Monday) for a mini-camp.

This year's mini-camp will be a week later than it has been under former coach Bill Parcells. The Cowboys coaches will get their first chance to work with the rookie draft picks and undrafted free agents.

Cowboys

The Cowboys, who have seven draft picks today, made their second pick of the day and in the fourth round taking Northern Illinois tackle Doug Free with the 122nd choice. The Cowboys have taken two offensive tackles in their first four draft picks. They took Boston College's James Marten in the third round Saturday.

The Cowboys don't have a fifth-round pick but have two in the sixth round and three in the seventh. Next pick -- No. 178 overall in the sixth.

Cowboys get a receiver, and a quarterback

Isaiah Stanback and Doug Free both completed their conference calls with the media.

Stanback said his doctors have told him that they will clear him for 100 percent activity sometime in June; he suffered a badly sprained right foot during his senior year at Washington. He played a full season at wide receiver as a freshman at Washington before he switched to quarterback.

But his days at quarterback are over.

Doug Free started 49 consecutive games at UNI. He played with current Cowboys receiver Sam Hurd in college.

Another local angle: Free played his final college game against TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl last December. He lined up against TCU defensive end Tommy Blake and gave up two sacks and three tackles for losses. Nice way to go out.

- Mac Engel

More on Stanback

Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback played in just eight games last season after having season-ending foot surgery for a badly sprained right foot.

The Seattle native threw for 3,868 career yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2003 -- his freshman year -- he had 10 receptions for 143 yards and played in all 11 games, mostly at wide receciver. That season he also returned eight kickoffs for 133 yards.

Isaiah Stanback at WR

Washington Huskies quarterback Isaiah Stanback, the Cowboys' first fourth-round pick, isn't expected to stay at the position, according to draft expert Mel Kiper.

Stanback (6-3, 215) will be converted to wide receiver, he says. If so, he joins a team where he will battle against a player with a similar background. Third receiver Patrick Crayton was a former college quarterback at Northwestern Oklahoma State drafted by the Cowboys in the seventh round in 2004. Former Cowboys wide receiver/return man Skyler Green is a former high school quarterback.

Cowboys first second-day pick

The Cowboys got started early on the second day of the draft with the fourth pick of the fourth round. Dallas took Washington Huskies quarterback Isaiah Stanback (6-3, 215) with the 103rd overall pick.

The Cowboys obtained the pick from Cleveland on Saturday. The next pick for the Cowboys will be No. 122 in the fourth round.