Cowboys' Jones feels good with trade bait heading into draft

IRVING, Texas -- Jerry Jones is soooo in his element at this draft.

He has two first-round picks, which means lavish trade bait.

His depth chart is already loaded, returning nearly every key player from the NFC's top-seeded team last season.

And, perhaps best of all, the clock will be ticking faster -- just 10 minutes to make potentially franchise-altering decisions in the first round, seven minutes in the second round.

"If there is anything I can do, it's make a quick decision," Jones said, smiling wide and winking. "I left out several other (decision-making) aspects, but I can make a quick one."

Wheeling and dealing built the fortune Jones used to buy the Cowboys and he's kept at it in the NFL.

The former oil wildcatter didn't even wait until draft day this time to start dealing, reaching an agreement in principle Wednesday with the Tennessee Titans to complete a long talked-about trade for Adam "Pacman" Jones, who best fits two of the Cowboys' primary needs -- cornerback and kick returner -- if he's available to play.

Jones is suspended and will have to convince NFL commissioner Roger Goodell later this summer that he's worthy of being reinstated. The commissioner has said he won't make such a decision until prior to the start of training camp in July.

Jerry Jones has hit plenty of dry holes on draft day, but he keeps coming back for more.

Consider how he snagged this year's bonus first-rounder.

Dallas had the No. 22 pick last year and Brady Quinn was still available. Jones let Cleveland take him in exchange for the Browns' top pick in '08, figuring the Browns would struggle with a rookie quarterback and he'd have a single-digit pick this year.

Alas, Dallas wound up right back at No. 22. The Cowboys also have No. 28, their own selection, as a reward for going 13-3 last season. (There's no punishment for losing their first playoff game, only the ongoing shame of not having won in the postseason since 1996.)

Ever the optimist, Jones is thrilled to have two picks in the bottom-third of the first round, calling them a better value than the expensive picks in the top 10.