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Dallas Cowboys 2018 NFL Draft: Positions off limits in 1st round

By Christian Blood

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands at the podium during a moment of silence for the victims and those others affected by the Bombing at the Boston Marathon in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands at the podium during a moment of silence for the victims and those others affected by the Bombing at the Boston Marathon in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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Dallas Cowboys
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 23: Center Travis Frederick #72 of the Dallas Cowboys snaps the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at the start of a preseason game on August 23, 2015 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers won 23-6. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Center: Travis Frederick is the man

Yes, the Dallas Cowboys offensive line didn’t exactly deliver the kind of performance that Cowboys Nation has come to expect since the 2014 regular season. That was the first year in which Dallas had the combination of center Travis Frederick, left tackle Tyron Smith and right tackle Zack Martin, who was just a rookie at the time.

Since that year, the Cowboys have gotten well-above average play from their offensive line in years in which they had a true starting-caliber quarterback available to play football – 2015 was obviously a throw away with that quarterback carousel of Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore unable to win more than just a single game in 12 tries without Tony Romo suiting up.

The Dallas offensive line is built to dominate for years to come, although 2017 marked some changes that created issues at both right tackle and left guard. The retirement of Doug Free and free-agent departure of Ronald Leary created some new dynamics on the offensive line, yet the Cowboys generally started five players with first-round talent in most games this season.

But injuries to Smith and some learning curve for still-inexperienced La’el Collins presented some challenges that the Cowboys couldn’t deal with, especially during the six-game suspension served by  Elliott. Still, the Cowboys ran the ball rather well, even though pass protection clearly suffered.

Now, the Cowboys would surprise nobody if the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft brought a blue-chip offensive guard to possibly replace Jonathan Cooper, a veteran player who might be too expensive to keep around next season. The same would hold true if Dallas opted for a highly ranked prospect to plug in at right tackle, especially if Cooper goes elsewhere and Collins is moved back inside for his fourth season in the league.

But Frederick is the guy who lines everything up and helps clog that middle, along with Martin. It’s hard to get better than this interior duo, and for that reason we will not see the Cowboys drafting a center in round one. If for some reason a college center is chosen in the opening round, he’d be heading to a vacated left guard spot in the NFL for sure, another possibility that’s doubtful – but not impossible given the current circumstances in Dallas.

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