Cowboys Top NFL Draft Question? The Answer is 'Both'
FRISCO - The answer, as Deion Sanders once remarked in a pizza commercial, is "both.''
"Which way to go'' is, as NFL.com notes, a "burning question'' when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys' roster reload.
But in one sense, we don't think it's much of a question at all.
And in another sense ... Do the Cowboys really have to "choose'' between drafting an O-lineman "or'' a receiver? Why not ... "both''?
The Cowboys have "re-signed'' (not "added'') a trio of big names in Michael Gallup, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dalton Schultz. When NFL.com notes the other signings, it skips over Jayron Kearse, Dorance Armstrong, Bryan Anger, Dante Fowler, Leighton Vander Esch, Malik Hooker and James Washington. We're not saying Cowboys Nation is throwing a party over this, but it is factual ... as is the NFL.com list of "biggest losses: Amari Cooper, Randy Gregory and La’el Collins.'' (We would add Ced Wilson to this list, and of course Connor Williams.)
Which leaves NFL.com with that burning question ...
BURNING QUESTION: What’s the plan on the offensive line?
Writes the site: "Much of the offseason in Dallas has focused on the receiver shuffle, but the bigger question ... is the offensive line. The group struggled with consistency last season and has yet to receive significant upgrades. Right tackle La’el Collins was cut, and Connor Williams signed in Miami. Williams wasn’t going to be retained after his struggles, but the Cowboys now have a glaring hole. For years, Dallas boasted a talented O-line that allowed Dak Prescott to operate unscathed. Now attrition and age have set in, and it’s a unit on the verge of teetering. (We'll) be stunned if the Cowboys don’t use at least one of their first two picks in the draft to fill a hole and/or add depth up front.''
It's impossible to argue with any of that.
The "age and attrition'' note unpleasant but it is fair. The "struggled with consistency'' note is something many Cowboys watchers ignored; that was even true at the very top of the Dallas O-line food chain.
But here's the conclusion we like best: O-line is more important than wideout. And it's not so much about the "glaring need'' at one or the other. No, it's about the relative ease with which teams can find "a Ced Wilson'' vs. the challenge in finding "a La'el Collins.''
The receivers in this draft who can play at a high level - a Wilson level? They run deep. The O-linemen who can step right in at, say, left guard, and be better than four-year starter Williams? That's a much shorter list.
And that's how we answer the "burning question'' question: O-line is harder to find. But Dallas needs to find both, high. And we bet the Cowboys will do just that.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys? Subscribe to the Daily Cowboys SI Newsletter with Mike Fisher now!
Follow FishSports on Twitter
Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook
Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live-stream podcasts and reports!
