Dallas Cowboys might have to rethink their draft strategy
By Connor Green
Draft an offensive lineman
The Dallas Cowboys offensive line has been battered with injuries this season. After the surprise retirement of Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick, this past offseason fans of America’s Team headed into 2020 with more uncertainty along their offensive line than they have had to deal with in a long time.
Those worries were compounded when it was announced that the organizations’ starting right tackle La’el Collins suffered a season-ending injury before the year started. The team has also had to suffer through the season-ending injury of their Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith as well as a significant injury to their Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin.
Dallas used a fourth-round draft pick last year to attempt to address the departure of Frederick. The team selected Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz as a potential successor to Frederick. Biadasz started the year backing up veteran center Joe Looney but was forced into action after Looney suffered a knee injury.
The young offensive lineman played admirably enough in Looney’s absence to be named to Pro Football Focus’s midseason All-Rookie team. However, the rookie center struggled at times and was eventually placed on the injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury.
Regardless of the development of Biadasz, the Cowboy’s offensive line has struggled immensely this year. The team might have an opportunity to address this growing concern with their draft pick. Three offensive linemen are projected to be drafted near Dallas’s projected draft pick.
If the team misses out on the playoffs and winds up with a top 15 pick they may be able to nab Northwestern offensive lineman Rashawn Slater or Ohio State lineman Wyatt Davis. The organization could also select USC lineman Alijah Vera Tucker if Davis and Slater were unavailable.
Any of these players would add much-needed depth to the teams’ offensive line, which has long been a strength of America’s Team. That alone might convince the Cowboys to consider selecting one of these offensive linemen under the right circumstances.