Jerry Jones says Cowboys have ‘changed this defense’ as NFL draft focuses on beleaguered unit

FRISCO, Texas (AP) - The Dallas Cowboys took a player they coveted but didn't expect to get in the NFL draft with safety Caleb Downs and added one edge rusher in Malachi Lawrence alongside another who might end up being a more traditional linebacker in Jaishawn Barham.

In their first draft since one the league's worst defenses gave up the most points with the fewest interceptions in franchise history, the Cowboys are mostly finished with an extreme makeover that included trades and free agent signings, not to mention the January hiring of 34-year-old defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

"We've changed this defense," owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "And if it were just last year, the way we played on defense, then that might not have called for this. But ... what you're seeing going on right now is a product of three or four or five years or maybe more that we just haven't been able to ultimately get where we're trying to go and be a contender. It's going to be different, it's going to be fresh."

Dallas missed the playoffs the past two seasons in large part because it couldn't get the defense right, and the 30-year run without even a trip to the NFC championship game - the longest in the conference - is well-chronicled for a proud franchise with five Super Bowl titles.

Downs (No. 11 overall out of Ohio State) and Lawrence (No. 23 out of UCF) were the first pair of first-round picks for the Cowboys in 18 years. Downs is by far the highest draft pick Dallas has used on a safety since Darren Woodson retired in 2003.

Any comparison to a three-time Super Bowl winner and the club's career leader in tackles isn't a good idea when Downs hasn't even stepped on a practice field for the Cowboys, who might be tempted to have those thoughts anyway.

Dallas had the extra first-round pick because of the trade of star pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay last year. The Cowboys gave up the other first-rounder in that deal, a 2027 pick, to get star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets during the 2005 season.

"If we get Darren Woodson out of him, we should really put a red letter around this day," Jones said after Dallas moved up one spot in a trade with Miami to ensure getting Downs. "Let me say this, no compunction whatsoever in my mind about taking Downs after doing all the trading we've done to get these picks. I really did have a big, good inside feeling when we were able to get a player like that with the fruits of our labor."

The Cowboys took two more defensive players in the fourth round in Florida cornerback Devin Moore (114th overall) and edge rusher LT Overton of Alabama (137th). Five of their seven choices were on defense.

Dallas' other fourth-rounder was Penn State tackle Drew Shelton (112th). The other offensive player taken was East Carolina receiver Anthony Smith with the second pick of the seventh round (No. 218).

The Cowboys have been trying to figure out linebacker for two years, with several swings and misses on veterans. The latest attempt is Dee Winters, acquired on the second day of the draft from San Francisco for a fifth-round pick.

While Barham - the 92nd overall pick in the third round - is listed as an edge rusher, he played behind the line of scrimmage earlier in his career at Michigan. The Cowboys say they're intrigued by that.

Dallas is hoping for DeMarvion Overshown's first fully healthy season in the 2023 third-round pick's fourth year, and two other recent mid-round draft picks are still on the roster in Marist Liufau and Shemar James.

"We're still building the room. We needed to rebuild it," executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones said. "We need to keep being a creative there and adding players and have competition."

Parker has been living in a hotel in the three months since the Cowboys hired him. Downs unexpectedly falling to Dallas could change that.

"When we got Caleb, he told me and Jerry, he said, 'Hey, now I'll buy a house,'" coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "He's been busy, he's been grinding on film, but getting a guy like Caleb made him comfortable. I don't think he's bought it yet, but in the next couple days, he said he's ready to buy a house."