The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2018 draft with several needs at various position groups. One of those position groups is offensive line, which is surprising to many given the reputation that the Cowboys offensive line as attained the last few years. Yes, they are stocked full of perennial pro-bowlers like Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Travis Frederick. La’el Collins had a solid season last year at right tackle and Jonathan Cooper filled in adequately at left guard so investing a high draft pick on the offensive line seems like overkill to many but it could end up being the best decision at pick #19.
As good as the offensive line is there is much room for improvement. Jonathan Cooper is a free agent, Tyron Smith has had troubling back issues that could threaten his career, and the depth, specifically at tackle, leaves much to be desired. The Cowboys have created an identity as a smash mouth team running the ball with Ezekiel Elliott behind that dominant offensive line in the model of the 90’s dynasty. In order to retain that identity, they must continue to solidify the unit much like the Great Wall of the 90’s. That unit helped propel Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith into the Hall of Fame and yet Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen was drafted after the Cowboys had already won 2 Super Bowls. Moreover, their biggest competition in the division the last 2 years has been the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and, despite a down year last season, the New York Giants. What both of those teams have in common are dominant defensive lines. It makes perfect sense for the Cowboys to want to strengthen their offensive line to challenge those defensive fronts.
While it is clear that Dallas will need to address their offensive line in the offseason, they have greater needs at other positions such as Linebacker, Safety, Defensive Tackle, and Wide Receiver. So why would they use their 1st round selection on an offensive lineman? It would depend on how the board falls. There are some intriguing DT prospects such as Washington’s Vita Vea, Michagan’s Maurice Hurst and Alabama’s Da’Ron Payne. However, the Cowboys have shown in the past that they do no covet big defensive tackles who don’t rush the passer and Vea and Payne fit that description. The top linebackers like Roquan Smith of Georgia or Tremaine Edmunds of Virginia could be gone before the Cowboys are on the clock. The same could be true for a top tier wide receiver like Calvin Ridley of Alabama or an elite safety such as Darwin James of Florida State. If that is the case and one of the better offensive lineman slide down the draft board it would be a mistake to pass on say Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame in order to reach at a position of greater need. And if one of the more coveted QB’s from this draft class slides to 19, perhaps a trade down could be an attractive option and the Cowboys can scoop up someone like guard Will Hernandez of UTEP or Georgia’s Isiah Wynn along with adding another pick or 2.
So to all my fellow Cowboy fans out there, on April 26th, if the Cowboys do indeed select another boring offensive lineman in the first round, do not despair. It may be the just the ingredient required to take our newest triplets, Dak Prescott, Dez Bryant, and Ezekiel Elliott to the next level.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode