The Cowboys' first pick is in the second round - No. 51 overall - and they will have to fight a trend of poor drafts when they don't have a first-rounder.

Barring a trade, this will be the seventh time the Cowboys will not make a first-round pick in Jones' tenure. Of the previous six, only the 1993 class, featuring Kevin Williams, Darrin Smith, Ron Stone, Brock Marion and Dave Thomas, can be considered a success.

The draft classes of 1995 and '96 helped hasten the disintegration of the Super Bowl teams of the '90s. Not one of the 14 members of the 2000 and '01 draft classes were re-signed by the Cowboys to long-term deals after their rookie contracts expired. Only Patrick Crayton remains from the 2004 draft class.

quot;This is going to be a good year for our group to accept the challenge because we've got to have some Football players out of this draft,quot; Jones said, quot;and we've got to get Football players that contribute immediately.quot;

After a 9-7 finish in 2008, the Cowboys have plenty of needs. Safety, linebacker, wide receiver and offensive line are near the top, although Jones does not believe receiver is as thin as others have suggested. With a solid if not flashy approach to free agency, the Cowboys were able to fill in holes caused by the departures of Chris Canty, Kevin Burnett and Zach Thomas as well as the release of safety Roy Williams by signing Igor Olshansky, Keith Brooking and Gerald Sensabaugh.

quot;That takes some pressure off you,quot; Jones said. quot;You don't have to be worrying about playing with a rookie safety or linebacker.quot;

As a result, the Cowboys can wait for a group of players at different positions and be pleased with any selection. From the list of known pre-draft visitors to Valley Ranch last week, the Cowboys had second-round possibilities at safety (Western Michigan's Louis Delmas and Texas Tech's Darcel McBath), wide receiver (Ohio State's Brian Robiskie, Georgia's Mohamed Massaquoi) and outside linebacker (Northern Illinois' Larry English, Ohio State's Marcus Freeman) roaming the facility.

quot;Based on the way we've experienced it in the past, there will be an outstanding Football player there for us,quot; Jones said.

Last year, the Cowboys had tight end Martellus Bennett rated much higher than the 61st position in which he was selected. Left tackle Flozell Adams and center Andre Gurode had first-round grades in the 1998 and 2002 drafts and the Cowboys managed to get both in the second round. In 2003, tight end Jason Witten had a first-round grade, but the Cowboys were able to scoop up the Pro Bowler in the third round.

Ultimately, however, this draft's success will be determined by the entire class.

Witten is among a group of players chosen by the Cowboys in the third round or later to have made the Pro Bowl in Jones' ownership run. The others are Mark Stepnoski, Dexter Coakley, Erik Williams, Tony Tolbert, Stone, Marion Barber, Nick Folk, Leon Lett and Jay Ratliff.

quot;I still believe in numbers, more picks, because people miss the first- and second-rounders just like they do the fourths and fifths,quot; executive vice president Stephen Jones said. quot;And it's all teams. ... The difference is it costs a lot more money to miss up there at the top than it does at the bottom, so we really look at this as a great opportunity to improve our team and gain a lot of value while we do it.quot;

Cowboys picks

First round - none

Second - No. 51 (approximately 9:30 p.m.)

Third - No. 69 (from Cleveland)

Fourth - No. 101 (from Detroit)

Fifth - No. 156, No. 166 (from Tennessee), No. 172 (compensatory)

Sixth - No. 197 (from Miami), No. 208 (compensatory)

Seventh - No. 210 (from Detroit), No. 227