In trading their second-round pick to move up eight spots and select Morris Claiborne on Thursday, the Cowboys knew they were going to miss out on the chance to snag a pretty good prospect in Round 2.
St. Louis, which got the pick in Thursday's trade, sent it to Chicago, which picked South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Among the players who were still available when Dallas was originally scheduled to go on the clock at No. 45 overall was Wisconsin's Peter Konz, generally considered the best center in the class.
For the Cowboys, center is one of the few positions at which a second-round pick could come in and challenge for a starting job as a rookie. Former undrafted free agent Phil Costa started all 16 games in 2011, but was inconsistent, and is likely to have a battle on his hands to keep his job.
Several other players who might've been valuable to the Cowboys were available at No. 45 as well.
The Cowboys' needs include not only the interior of the offensive line but also tight end, wide receiver, defensive line, outside linebacker and safety.
Among the top players capable of filling a need at 45 would've been
Devon Still, DL, Penn State
Kendall Reyes, DL, Connecticut
Jerel Worthy, DL, Michigan State
Alameda Ta'amu, NT, Washington
Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall
Reuben Randall, WR, LSU
Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
The Cowboys still own the 81st overall pick, so there's still a chance they could pick up a need-filling player late Friday night.
