IRVING, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys went into the 2013 NFL Draft with the goal of fixing their offensive line.
Apparently, quite a few other franchises shared that same mandate.
There were five offensive linemen worthy of top 20 selection and the Cowboys were hoping that one of them, preferably a guard, would slide to them at 18. There was even speculation the Cowboys might trade up if one of the guards drifted within range.
When you award your quarterback a $108 million contract, you must do everything in your power to protect him and give him a chance to pay a return on the investment. That means block for him - and that was the goal of the Cowboys on Thursday night. Get Tony Romo some blocking.
The Cowboys did get blocking - but nowhere near the quality they envisioned when the draft began. By the end of the night, the Cowboys were drafting 31st in the first round and reaching for the best center on the board, Travis Frederick of Wisconsin.
Heading into the draft, Frederick was a player the Cowboys had targeted for Friday night. That’s where he was projected to go - mid- to late second round. Even Frederick admitted he was surprised to go in the first round. But what happened in those first 31 picks left the Cowboys dizzy.
A run on blockers at the top of the draft forced the Cowboys to bail to the bottom. They traded down to 31, allowing the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers to move up to take a safety at 18 the Cowboys could have used - Eric Reid of LSU.
Here’s how the draft unraveled on the Cowboys.
For the first time since the AFL-NFL draft merger in 1967, offensive tackles went 1-2 - Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher to Kansas City and Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel to Jacksonville. Then Philadelphia grabbed Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson with the fourth pick. Suddenly, the impact tackle board was empty.
Arizona then drafted North Carolina’s Jonathan Cooper with the seventh overall pick - the highest a guard has gone since 1975 when Ken Huff went third overall to the Baltimore Colts. Yes, the Baltimore Colts.
Elite first-round offensive line help for the Cowboys evaporated when the Tennessee Titans claimed Alabama’s Chance Warmack at 10. It marked the first time in NFL Draft history that two guards were selected in the top 10 of a draft. Now the impact guard board was empty, too.
In what amounted to piling on, the San Diego Chargers took Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker at 11. If you’re counting, that’s six offensive linemen (and three defensive linemen) in the first 11 picks, which underscored the philosophy of Super Bowl combatants Baltimore and San Francisco that you win games in the NFL up front.
Forced to look elsewhere, two more players were stricken from the Cowboys’ wish list when the New York Jets swiped defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson of Missouri at 13 and the New Orleans Saints - and Rob Ryan - claimed safety Kenny Vaccaro of Texas at 15.
Sports, Pages 22 on 04/26/2013