It is fair to say that the Cowboys are over the moon that they managed to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
The Dallas Cowboys loved Ohio State's Caleb Downs during the pre-NFL Draft process, and as the first round was unfolding on Thursday, the defensive stud remained available ... available ... and available.
And then Dallas pounced.
When it came to slot No. 11, and the biggest rivals for Downs passed, the Cowboys pulled the trigger on a trade with the Miami Dolphins that sent No. 12, and a couple of fifth-round picks to the AFC franchise in exchange for moving up one spot.
Once they did, Dallas turned the card in and made Downs a Cowboy.
With others in Sonny Styles (Commanders) and Mansoor Delane (Chiefs) off the board, the Cowboys would have been getting a little nervous with the New York Giants at No. 10 looming as the party-spoilers.
Seeing Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs both in New York uniforms? That's nightmare fuel.
But the NFC East franchise went in a different direction, and that was all the Cowboys needed to go and get new coordinator Christian Parker a defensive stud.
And that was only the beginning in an as-predicted defense-heavy three days of drafting.
The complete list of Dallas' adds ...
Round 1, Pick 11: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Round 1, Pick 23: Edge Malachi Lawrence, UCF
Round 3, Pick 92: LB/Edge Jaishawn Barham, Michigan
Round 4, Pick 112: OT Drew Shelton, Penn State
Round 4, Pick 114: CB Devin Moore, Florida
Round 4, Pick 137: DL L.T. Overton, Alabama
Round 7, Pick 218: WR Anthony Smith, East Carolina
Trade of fifth-round pick for 49ers linebacker Dee Winters.
(The Cowboys can also cheat a little bit by noting that their absent second-rounder helped net them Quinnen Williams and that their absent third-rounder brought them George Pickens.)
But it all starts with Downs.
As far as owner Jerry Jones' testimony is concerned, when Downs was within his team's grasp, everyone in the war room knew they had to make a move to go up and grab him.
"He was a prize for us, sitting there,'' said Jones, saying that getting beaten out for him would've "absolutely cut your heart out. ... the times where we’ve been the next pick and had somebody move up and get him.
"And we had every reason to think that might be happening. ... Didn’t want to lose him."
Now, the Cowboys' defense, with just the Downs selection alone, takes on a whole different feel.
With Downs patrolling the secondary, the Cowboys, it is thought, will be quarterbacked in some ways by a smart rookie.
Getting players in position, making plays, and ensuring everyone is on the same page is something that couldn't be said for this NFL-worst and lost-looking defense last season.
We reported going into this process that Downs was a "dreamy-but-real'' idea for the Cowboys, and as the first round unfolded, and he slipped past the Giants at No. 5, and then at No. 10, the dream became a reality.
And the franchise loads up on defense with five of its seven draftees (counting Winters, six of its eight adds) and gets its "prize" in Downs.