Cowboys pick Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas officer's funeral set, Willie Nelson album review: Your Friday morning roundup

April 27,  2018 By Carla Solórzano and Dom DiFurio Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: Sunny skies. High around 80 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Mementos sit on the car parked outside in honor of Dallas police officer Rogelio Santander Thursday at the Northeast Division of the Dallas Police Department. Santander died Wednesday, a day after he and another Dallas officer and a loss prevention officer were shot at a Home Depot. (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff) slain officer Funeral arrangements set for slain Dallas police officer The Dallas police officer who died a day after he was shot at a Lake Highlands Home Depot [will be laid to rest next week](. Officer Rogelio Santander Jr. was shot Tuesday while responding to an off-duty officer's call for assistance with an arrest at a Home Depot. He died of his injuries at Texas Health Presbyterian of Dallas the next day. A private Mass will be held Monday at the Cathedral Guadalupe, 2215 Ross Ave., Dallas. A public visitation is planned from 6 to 9 p.m. at the cathedral. Meanwhile: Hundreds gathered at the police station where Santander worked to [mourn the 27-year-old who was fatally shot while assisting with an arrest](. Also: A 41-year-old man who was found in a creek bed near the Home Depot had nothing to do with the shooting, but still [threatened to kill officers and tried to take an officer's rifle](. Dallas Cowboys pick Leighton Vander Esch during the first round of the NFL Draft at AT&T; Stadium in Arlington. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News) NFL draft Cowboys draft dynamic linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in Round 1; how he fits [The Cowboys took linebacker Leighton Vander Esch with the No. 19 pick]( overall in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Vander Esch had become a popular first-round pick for the Cowboys in recent mock drafts. The Boise State linebacker was one of Dallas' pre-draft visitors. While at The Star, Vander Esch got a chance to spend some time with Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. "He's an awesome dude," Vander Esch said Wednesday after a youth football clinic outside of AT&T Stadium. "He's definitely a character. He put a smile on my face the second I talked to him. He's cool." The Cowboys would likely play him similar to the way they used Anthony Hitchens, who signed with Kansas City in free agency. There are also questions of health at linebacker with Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith. Also: Here's a quick look at what [some NFL scouting reports say of the Dallas Cowboys' 2018 first-round pick]( Vander Esch. And: [AT&T Stadium rolled out the red carpet for more than 20 prospective stars of the league](and here were some of the best moments from last night. Retired Dallas Police Chief David Brown points to the crowd during the debut event of the tour for his autobiography, Called To Rise: A Life in Faithful Service to the Community That Made Me June 7, 2017 at Winspear Opera House in Dallas. (Ryan Michalesko/Staff) Too Soon? Day after slaying of officer, former Dallas chief David Brown tells light-hearted police ambush anecdote A day after Dallas officers were shot, one of them fatally, retired Dallas Police Chief David Brown spoke at a Central Texas conference about the July 7, 2016, ambush that killed five officers. Brown addressed an audience of victim advocates Wednesday at the Every Victim Every Time conference in Bryan, recounting how he made the decision to use explosives strapped to a robot to take down the gunman who had targeted police officers that night. [He recalled telling Mayor Mike Rawlings before a second news conference]( that police planned to detonate explosives to kill the gunman. Also: Collin County's district attorney [will seek the death penalty for the man who proclaimed he wanted to go to war with police]( and killed a veteran Richardson officer. And: [Bedford Republican Rep. Jonathan Stickland has drawn fire]( for warning that a Euless City Council candidate who is a Muslim would bring "massive changes." Advertisement (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff) Photo of the Morning Katherine Vega, of Puerto Rico, [waits for instructions during onsite testing for police trainees at Jack Evans Headquarters of the Dallas Police Department]( in Dallas. All police trainees were signed up prior to the shooting of two Dallas officers and a loss prevention officer at a Home Depot. In the three-day onsite testing process, trainees will undergo physical testing, a polygraph, background information, initial paperwork and a civil service exam. Around The Site - Southeast Texas: Authorities [disabled an explosive device at a Starbucks in Beaumont]( early Thursday. - Big deal: [Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could soon own a controlling stake in a Frisco oil and gas explorer]( in a deal worth $620 million. - Politics: To prevent gerrymandered districts, [a coalition of civil and voting rights groups wants citizens to draw the state's electoral maps](. - Baby blues: Cardi B announced that she'd be taking a break from touring, [so she will be skipping JMBLYA in Dallas](. - Let's investigate: We are launching [a special science edition of our Curious Texas project.]( - Transportation: [Collin County residents and city leaders got a glimpse of possible freeway corridors]( to improve traffic along U.S. Highway 380. - Southwest Airlines: Molly Ringwald thanked the airline for helping save her father's life [after he had a medical emergency on an Austin-bound flight](. Willie Nelson and Family in concert at the Granada Theater in Dallas on Jan. 03, 2017. (Ben Torres/Special Contributor) Finally... Willie Nelson's approach to death? Puff, puff, laugh, suggests new album 'Last Man Standing' Music critic Kelly Dearmore reviews Willie Nelson's latest album. Nelson's latest studio album Last Man Standing, out on Friday, is a fantastic honky-tonk record. And given that this record comes a year after he released his last one, God's Problem Child, and only months after he canceled months worth of shows due to a number of ailments, it's a remarkable achievement. Produced by accomplished Nashville producer Buddy Cannon, who co-wrote each of the new record's 11 songs, Last Man Standing tackles [the fact that earthly time is certainly not on Nelson's side](. But Willie wouldn't be Willie if he simply acknowledged that foreboding fact while retreating into silence. Unlike last year's fine effort and many of his oddball recording choices in the recent past -- do you know where your copy of Willie's 2005, unintentionally hilarious reggae Countryman CD is anymore? — Last Man Standing is filled with heartwarming familiarity and tunes that stack up well with the hits that have come to define a large part of the Red Headed Stranger's catalog. Here are [four takeaways from Last Man Standing](. AdVERTISEMENT 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). 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