Dallas deals for LSU corner

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne was considered by most as the best defensive back available in the NFL draft.

The Dallas Cowboys, in desperate need of defensive playmakers, couldn’t pass on the All-american.

Dallas selected Claiborne with the sixth overall pick Thursday night, moving up eight spots in the first round after a trade with St. Louis. The Rams got the No. 14 pick and the Cowboys’ second-round selection, 45th overall.

Claiborne led the Tigers with six interceptions last season and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. He was also LSU’S top kickoff returner, averaging 25 yards per return including a 99-yard touchdown at West Virginia.

It was anticipated that the Cowboys would get defensive in the early rounds of the draft, looking to add impact players for coordinator Rob Ryan.

The Cowboys were also active in free agency last month, signing cornerback Brandon Carr to a $50 million, five-year deal that includes $26.5 million guaranteed. Among other free agents they signed were safety Brodney Pool and linebacker Dan Connor.

Now they have used their highest draft pick since 2003, when cornerback Terence Newman was picked fifth overall, on another top cornerback.

The No. 6 pick Dallas got from St. Louis was one of the picks the Rams got from Washington, which moved up to second overall to get Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III of Baylor. in the league last season.

Kuechly is expected to compete for a starting job right away at outside linebacker with Thomas Davis, who is coming off three torn ACLS in the past three seasons.

Kuechly averaged 14 tackles per game for his career and received the Bronko Nagurski Award for the nation’s top defensive player. He is the only ACC player to lead the league in tackles three times in his career.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Alabama safety Mark Barron with the seventh pick.

Barron will be plugged into a defense that was among the worst in the NFL a year ago, when the Bucs went 4-12 and allowed a franchise-record 30.9 points per game.

Tampa Bay began the night with the fifth pick. But after Cleveland moved up one spot to No. 3 to ensure they’d get Alabama running back Trent Richardson, the Bucs traded down to No. 7 in a deal that also landed a fourth-round pick from Jacksonville.

Cornerback Morris Claiborne also was high of the Bucs’ wish list. However, Dallas pulled off a deal with St. Louis to move up eight spots to take the former LSU star.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon with the fifth pick.

The Jaguars gave up a fourth-round selection to swap spots with Tampa Bay.

That’s a reasonable trade for a player Jacksonville hopes will provide an immediate boost for the NFL’S worst offense. The 6-foot-1, 207pound Blackmon caught 122 passes for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He had 111 receptions for 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2010.

Jacksonville struggled mightily at receiver last season. Eight wideouts caught 121 passes for 1,359 yards and seven scores. The Jaguars added receivers Laurent Robinson and Lee Evans in free agency. Robinson and Blackmon could help quarterback Blaine Gabbert, drafted with the 10th pick in 2010, develop into a franchise passer.