IRVING, Texas (AP) — Once Dez Bryant was within reach, the Dallas Cowboys made sure they grabbed him.
Just three spots from taking him at No. 27, the Cowboys made a deal with New England to snag the Oklahoma State receiver with top-15 talent but questions about his character.
“I’m not disappointed at all,” said Bryant, who grew up two hours away in East Texas. “Me falling to the Cowboys, that’s the best thing that could ever happen to me. I’m so happy. I’m excited. I’m ready to go to work.”
The Cowboys ranked Bryant among the 10 best players in the draft and used their home-field advantage to thoroughly research his background growing up and at college a few hours away. Team owner Jerry Jones said he got “real good information, and it got real consistent.” While he acknowledged “that doesn’t mean every bit of it was A-plus,” it obviously was enough to persuade them he was their guy.
They also knew other teams were likely to let him slide. So they waited for the best possible deal.
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“We felt all along you can mitigate that risk the lower you go in the first round,” Jones said.
There were some nervous moments — like when Denver moved up to 22nd and took a different receiver. Dallas sweated out just one more pick, then made its move.
Bryant said that when he saw Dallas swap spots with New England, he was hoping it was for him. Soon enough, Jones called to confirm it, to the delight of everyone in the team’s draft room and at Bryant’s draft-watching party at the Dallas-area home of one of his advisers.
“They believed in me,” Bryant said. “They chose me. It’s a blessing.”
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Bryant was an All-American in 2008 when he turned 87 receptions into 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns.
His stock slid after his suspension for lying to the NCAA about his activities with former NFL cornerback Deion Sanders, a suspension that kept him off the field nearly all of last season. There were other questions about him, such as being late to meetings and even games.
Nobody questions his skills.
Bryant’s arrival means quarterback Tony Romo has another potentially dynamic receiver to go with returning Pro Bowler Miles Austin.
It also likely means a lesser role for Roy Williams, who has been pretty much a bust since Dallas gave up several draft picks and a $45 million extension to get him from Detroit midway through the 2008 season.
Jones insisted this pick was “more about what Bryant is than what Roy isn’t.” Coach Wade Phillips added that some rookie receivers are slow to adjust to the NFL, but he and Jones believe Bryant will make an impact right away as a punt returner.
“He has a chance to be a game-changer,” Jones said.
Bryant is looking forward to returning kicks.
“That was one of the things I love to do,” he said.
The Cowboys had bigger needs at safety and offensive line, and they targeted one of each — Texas safety Earl Thomas and Idaho guard Mike Iupati. Both went in the teens and it would’ve cost Dallas a second-round pick to move up that high. So they were fine with sitting back and targeting Bryant.
Beyond the value and the pizazz of adding a playmaker, Bryant’s ability to make an impact this season is huge because the Super Bowl is coming to Cowboys Stadium and Jones is obsessed with becoming the first host to also play for the championship. He also didn’t want to make the mistake he made in 1998, when he passed on Randy Moss because of character issues even though the Cowboys desperately needed a receiver.
Jones downplayed the Moss factor, saying, “Dez Bryant stands on his own.”
Big and strong, fast with good hands, Bryant has the potential to be another Michael Irvin in Dallas. He also could be another Antonio Bryant, a talented but temperamental player who was dumped after throwing a sweaty jersey in the face of then-coach Bill Parcells.
The Cowboys are counting on their due diligence, and their behavioral program staff, to smooth out any issues Bryant may have.
“He’s a good person. Conscientious. Those kinds of things,” Jones said. “Everyone’s got a lot of work to do. His starts tomorrow. But the prize is a big one here.”
In exchange for the 24th selection, Dallas gave up its 90th pick (in the third round) for New England’s 119th (in the fourth round).
The Cowboys go into Friday’s portion of the draft with only a second-round pick. On Saturday, they have two fourth-rounders, a sixth and a seventh.
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