FRISCO -- It was a big weekend for Cowboys secondary coach Joe Baker. His position group received four additions during this year's draft.

Dallas selected Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in the second round, Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis in the third, Louisiana Tech safety Xavier Woods in the sixth and Florida State cornerback Marquez White 25 picks after that.

"I think we all understood it was a really deep draft at defensive back this year and you're always trying to help your team obviously, but take the best guys available," Baker said. "I think that's what kind of happened late in the draft. There's just a lot of good DBs and there were some sitting there at the end that we really liked so it kind of worked out for us."

Baker said he believes all four of the defensive backs they drafted have a chance to compete for a starting spot.

That's important, considering what the Cowboys lost in free agency. Veteran defensive backs Barry Church, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and J.J. Wilcox all signed elsewhere. All four played significant roles last season.

"We got to have this group come together fast," Baker said. "The nice thing about how well that group played last year is that a lot of them had been here for a long time. So they had a lot of experience in the system. They were smart guys, believed in what we were doing, and they came together well. So we've got to try to get this group to come together quickly as well."

Baker called the defensive backs they drafted "alphas."

"They're going to come in do what they do," he added, "and they'll find a way to contribute."

Is being an "alpha" a must for defensive backs?

"Not necessarily a must trait," Baker said. "They certainly have to have confidence. And when I say 'alpha,' like in [Awuzie's] case, he's a leader. He knows the whole defense. He'll push guys. Not everybody does that that way.

"But 'alpha' in the sense that these guys are really confident, right? They know that they can play. They'll come in and they'll make a name for themselves."

Here are some other highlights from a Saturday interview with Baker.

On Awuzie:

"Really super smart, the kind of guy that can draw up what all 11 guys are doing, tell you about it. [He] can play multiple positions, plays hard, plays physical, got a playmaker's mentality."

On Lewis:

"Another guy with pedigree, played in big games, big stadiums against big time receivers, played inside, played outside, loves it, playmaker's mentality. Another great guy that you guys are going to enjoy watching."

On trading up for Woods:

"We were all kind of on the same page with how much we liked him and really couldn't believe he was sitting there where he was. I think we all felt really good about that move.

On White:

"Just real solid. Again, two-year starter, very solid in all aspects of the game. Press, playing off, really smart, knows what he wants to do and has been a pretty consistent playmaker for them."

On who intrigued him most out of the players they drafted:

"Each one of them. We took [Awuzie] first so obviously we really like him and what he can do with his versatility. And Jourdan Lewis was a great play-maker at Michigan. Obviously those first two guys we're excited about, but I really feel like, each guy is really going to bring something. Xavier Woods was a guy we targeted from very early on. We're going to like watching all of these guys play."

On the experience of the players they drafted:

"Yeah, a ton of experience. A lot of the guys are big school guys who have played big-time competition, so that makes your evaluations real easy. It's really easy to picture these guys playing in the league."

On the leadership in the secondary having to come from young guys:

"I don't worry about it as much because we still do have veterans in the room. We do have Nolan Carroll. We have Jeff Heath, Byron Jones, Orlando Scandrick, all these guys that have played a lot of ball. But we have some young guys that have some great leadership traits. They're going to grow quickly and become leaders themselves."

On Nolan Carroll:

"In some ways he's got that characteristic that Brandon Carr had in that he was out there. He's a pro. He's always out there, always playing solid ball, reliable, professional play-maker."

On Jeff Heath:

"You guys saw him start, what nine games as a rookie? On a team that was vying for the playoffs. So I think from very early on, Jeff showed he could be a guy that could go out there and compete. So now he's four years into his career. We got a real good NFL football player there."