Cowboys trade up, take Wisconsin's Tyler Biadasz: 'I'm coming to work'
In a trade-up to No. 146, the Dallas Cowboys selected Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon, grabbing another Badger to groom as Travis Frederick's eventual replacement.
Like Frederick, Biadasz is a Badger interior lineman who played since his freshman season in Madison. The Athletic's Dane Brugler has Biadasz at No. 170 on his overall board and describes him as a fundamentally-sound technician who does need to work on balance at the next level.
During his phone call with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy, Jones congratulated Biadasz on coming to Dallas and Biadasz replied, "I'm coming to work."
Biadasz spent summers working on his grandfather's 1,000-acre farm, so work ethic likely isn't an issue.
In 2019, Biadasz was the Rimington Trophy winner (given to the college game's best center, an Outland Trophy finalist, a unanimous first-team All-American (AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp), a first-team All-Big Ten (consensus) and an Academic All-Big Ten.
Jones also told Biadasz that McCarthy had been working since midnight Saturday morning to find a way to get Biadasz on the Cowboys' roster. That may have been a bit of hyperbole, but it's clear the Cowboys were interested in adding Biadasz as a potential replacement at center.
One could think of him as Frederick 2.0, but he'll need more seasoning.
With Frederick's retirement, Joe Looney would be the likely immediate replacement for Frederick in 2020, with Biadasz being a center who can be developed and groomed to start down the road.
The Cowboys sent the Philadelphia Eagles the No. 164 pick in the 2020 draft, plus a fifth-round pick in 2021, in order to move up to take Biadasz.
Biadasz joins a draft class that is shaping up to be one that can make an immediate impact on the Cowboys in 2020. Dallas took Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the first round, Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs in the second round, Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore in the third round and Tulsa cornerback Reggie Robinson II in the fourth round. All four players were in the Top 100 on the big board of The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
