The Cowboys got their star defender, with Caleb Downs falling to the NFC East franchise.
The Dallas Cowboys have selected Ohio State's Caleb Downs with the No. 11 overall pick.
The Cowboys saw the draft board fall their way, and with the Miami Dolphins on the clock, Dallas swung a trade to move up one spot from No. 12 to No. 11.
Dallas sent No. 12 and two fifth-round selections to Miami, and now Christian Parker gets his dynamic defensive chess piece.
It was well known throughout the draft process how much the Cowboys loved Downs, and from the celebrations in the war room, it was clear how excited Dallas was to get Downs.
A versatile safety, Downs is the exact sort of weapon Parker's defense needed.
Able to play in multiple positions, possesses high football IQ, is great in run support, and, according to several scouts, has exceptional coverage skills. Downs is the ideal selection.
Now he lands in Dallas as Parker's chess piece.
With the draft beginning, the Cowboys saw a host of offensive players go in with the early selections, which had fans excited, but then the Washington Commanders took linebacker Sonny Styles.
That left Cowboys fans nervous, as the New York Giants were the only team that had the ability to take Downs... and they passed.
It didn't take long for the Cowboys to get on the phone with Miami to discuss a trade-up, and the move was made rather swiftly.
Now, Parker gets his star defender, and with pick No. 20 still in their back pocket, the Cowboys, in theory, can get another Day 1 starter for Parker in the next handful of picks.
Some thought that Dallas would try to trade up to No. 6 with the Cleveland Browns, but the Kansas City Chiefs beat them to the punch, with Andy Reid's team moving up to take LSU corner, Mansoor Delane.
As the picks kept coming and Downs kept falling, there was genuine hope that the Cowboys would see the Ohio State stud fall into their lap.
And while it took a couple of fifth-round selections along with the No. 12 pick to move up, the Cowboys got their man.
One could argue that it was an ideal situation for the Cowboys to land one of the best defensive prospects in the draft, and they didn't have to trade away top draft capital to get it done.
It's a great start to the draft for Dallas.