Fortunately, he did not. But he may eventually. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof, anyway.

Here's what a Cowboys fan has to hope: Jerry Jones knows something now that he didn't know in '95.

Or '93.

Or '96.

Or '00.

Or '01.

Or just about any year he didn't have the relative safety of a first-round pick, in other words.

Only the fairly productive '04 draft, when they scored Julius Jones, Patrick Crayton and Jacques Reeves, keeps the Cowboys from a clean sweep of ugly drafts in years Jerry didn't have a first-rounder.

Good organizations demonstrate their skills when drafting in the middle rounds, which is why the Cowboys struggled throughout the late '90s and why Cowboys fans should be a little nervous today. Anyone can luck into a DeMarcus Ware in the first round, probably. But it takes real skill, and not a little luck, to pick up Marion Barber and Chris Canty in the fourth or Jay Ratliff in the seventh.

Question: Is there a Barber or Canty or Ratliff in this latest bunch?

Answer: Only time will tell.

Of course, you didn't want to hear that. But if I'd told you in '05 that Ratliff would be a Pro Bowl nose guard, you'd have confiscated my press card.

Any draft expert with credibility, like our own Rick Gosselin, bases his grading system on where teams got their players.

For example: When the Cowboys drafted Quincy Carter in the second round in '01, I wrote that day that their draft was a bust. Why? Because they reached maybe two rounds to take Carter in the second, and Jerry said he was as excited as the day he drafted Troy Aikman. In the same sentence, he mentioned a prototype NFL quarterback with impeccable college credentials and a guy who may have lost his job if he'd remained at Georgia. Because of the reach and the trumped-up expectations generated, the pick had disaster written all over it.

As my family will tell you, I don't get much right, but history backs me on Quincy.

And what's different from this draft, when all the buzz the Cowboys could generate was special teams contributions, and '95, when Jerry's goal was to find a backup running back for Emmitt Smith?

quot;I don't feel as smug as I felt in 1995,quot; Jerry said.

Coming off two Super Bowl titles on his way to a third in '95, Jerry and his disciples figured all they needed were a few backups.

So he traded out of the first for a pair of seconds and got Williams, who wasn't the best Cowboy in a bad draft.

The difference this time, Jerry all but swears, is that most of this year's picks can make an immediate impact, if only on special teams.

Hey, he's talking about his new quarterback, Stephen McGee, playing on special teams.

Come to think of it, no wonder Jerry hasn't been drafting QBs all these years. How many could bust a wedge?

Bottom line: The problem this year wasn't necessarily giving up the first-round pick for Roy Williams. This wasn't a top-heavy draft. But losing the pick hurts the Cowboys' percentages of getting it right.

Jerry's counterpoint: By having so many picks, and so many versatile players, he helped his odds.

All Jerry's asking us to do is trust him this time. You go first.

Cowboys selections

The Dallas Cowboys 12 picks from the second day of the 2009 NFL Draft:

Rd (Pk) Name Pos. School

3 (69) Jason Williams LB Western Ill.

3 (75) Robert Brewster T Ball State

4 (101) Stephen McGee QB Texas A&M

4 (110) Victor Butler OLB Oregon St.

4 (120) Brandon Williams OLB Texas Tech

5 (143) DeAngelo Smith S Cincinnati

5 (166) Michael Hamlin FS Clemson

5 (172) David Buehler K USC

6 (197) Stephen Hodge SS TCU

6 (208) John Phillips TE Virginia

7 (227) Mike Mickens CB Cincinnati

7 (229) Manuel Johnson WR Oklahoma