Most Rookies will return May 14*

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys concluded their rookie minicamp Saturday afternoon and will get the chance to welcome back almost all of the draft picks and college free agents May 14.

There is some question as to whether fourth-round pick [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] will be able to return May 14 because of Eastern Washington’s system. Several players will graduate in the next two weeks, including [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] from Boise State and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] from Montana.

When the rookies return, they will work out and do on-field sessions with the veterans as part of Phase 3 of the offseason program.

“The guys that go home and work, I’ll be able to tell,” secondary coach [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] said. “I’ll look and say, ‘That guy’s been working on what we talked about, working on his technique, working on his body position.' I’ll be able to tell the guys that haven’t because they’ll be at the same place they left this camp and shame on them if they are at the same place when they come back.”

The Cowboys have 88 players on the roster and have two spots left open. One player who impressed was North Texas fullback Jamize Oliwale, who played linebacker in college. He caught the ball well out of the backfield and did a decent job as a runner.

The next bit of business for the Cowboys is signing their draft picks. They were allocated a rookie pool of $5.714 million and could begin talks sooner with the agents for their choices than they have in the past. After June 1 the Cowboys will gain a $6 million credit because of the release of cornerback [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] earlier in the offseason.