NFL Draft Texas Capsules: Cowboys trade 2nd-round draft pick to Bills

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IRVING - For the first time since he bought the team, Jerry Jones didn't make a selection for the Dallas Cowboys in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.

Jones won't be inactive for long, though. Not with the Cowboys holding a dozen picks Sunday.

The Cowboys traded their second-round pick Saturday, leaving them without a selection on the first day of draft.

The Buffalo Bills acquired the 51st pick from the Cowboys in exchange for third- and fourth-round picks, the 75th and 110th selections.

"It turns out it wasn't hard," Jones said of the inactivity. "Anybody likes to have some results. There are players in the third and fourth round that can get on the field quicker than maybe some players we would have looked at in the second round."

This is the first time Dallas has gone without a pick in the first two rounds since 1980, when its first pick was in the third round and 78th overall.

The Cowboys' longest wait in Jones' tenure before Saturday was 2001, when they drafted Quincy Carter at No. 53.

Dallas did not have a first-round pick, having dealt that with third- and sixth-rounders to Detroit last season for receiver Roy Williams.

The swap with the Bills was the 53rd draft day trade since Jones bought the team in 1989.

Jones said it was better to be patient than to use that second-round selection.

"We did not think there was one player there that warranted a second pick," Jones said.

Dallas' 12 picks in rounds three through seven include two in the third and three in the fourth.

Among the players the Cowboys have drafted in that range are tight end Jason Witten, running back Marion Barber and defensive tackle Jay Ratliff. And they parlayed some late picks last year into extra choices this weekend.

"We are excited about (Sunday) and what we're going to be doing," Jones said. "We liked our odds better going into the third round."

Texans pick USC LB Cushing 15th in NFL draft

HOUSTON - With his uncle Bruce Matthews recently hired as a Houston Texans assistant, many figured the team would draft Southern Cal linebacker Clay Matthews with the 15th pick.

Instead they took his teammate and fellow linebacker Brian Cushing.

Texans defensive coordinator Frank Bush said there was some push for Matthews, but that Cushing was the right choice.

"Of course he would do that," Bush said of the longtime Houston Oiler and Hall of Famer talking up his nephew. "But throughout the process, I think it was quite obvious to us that this was the kid we targeted, that we wanted. We liked Matthews a lot and Bruce was lobbying for him, but at the end of the day we wanted Brian Cushing."

The move brings Cushing to a defense that includes star middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, 2006 top overall pick Mario Williams and offseason additions Antonio Smith and Cato June.

Cushing could help a team that had the third-most potent offense in the league last year, but a defense that ranked 22nd and allowed more than 336 yards per game.

He wasn't surprised to be chosen over Matthews, who was taken 26th by the Packers.

"I was a four-year starter in college," Cushing said. "I've proven myself game in and game out. I think the right decision was made."

Cushing had 74 tackles and three sacks for the Trojans last season. The Texans, who expect him to start at strong side linebacker, love his intensity and versatility.

"He's going to bring a certain work ethic," Bush said. "He's also going to bring a playmaking ability. We can put him right next to DeMeco and we've got two really good football players to go run around and hit people."

The Texans were undeterred by rumors that Cushing had used performance-enhancing drugs, saying they found no truth to that speculation in their draft preparations.

"We vetted the process very thoroughly and we feel very good about who he is as a man, who he is as an athlete and a player," general manager Rick Smith said.

Cushing hopes the steroid rumors that have dogged him and Matthews won't follow him to the NFL.

"It's unfortunate for something like that to have to come out," Cushing said. "But we're both clean, hardworking guys and we just have to get those kind of things behind us."

The Texans stayed with defense with their second-round pick, taking Cincinnati defensive end Connor Barwin.

"We knew we had to improve our defensive football team," coach Gary Kubiak said.

Barwin played defensive end just one season after starting his career at tight end. Houston plans to use him to back up Williams at right end, but he can play both end positions.

"On third downs he can rush the passer, so he can go outside and rush the passer at either spot," Kubiak said. "He gives us the flexibility to move Antonio Smith inside to rush the passer on third downs, which is something that he does extremely well."

-- Kristie Rieken