While the NFL draft is still a few months away, fans are zeroing in on who their favorite club should add in late April. For most Dallas Cowboys fans, center Tyler Linderbaum is on the shortlist of preferred first-round prospects. PFF’s first post-Super Bowl mock draft played out perfectly for Dallas, as the Cowboys were able to sit at their selection, No. 24, and snag the highly-touted offensive anchor.
Linderbaum is often thought of as a top talent who could immediately make a significant improvement for any offensive line he’s added into, leaving some to rightfully question how the Iowa prospect could slide to where Dallas stands. A mid-round run on quarterbacks plays a big factor in this near ‘best-case scenario’ round one for the Cowboys.
24. Dallas Cowboys: C Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
“Linderbaum may slide because of his size at 290 pounds, but he shouldn’t. The Cowboys would happily reinvest in their offensive line after things fell apart down the stretch last year. Linderbaum would bring Travis Frederick levels of assuredness to the position.” – Mike Renner, PFF
Renner mentions one of the very few things people will knock Linderbaum for, his weight. At 290 pounds, Linderbaum has drawn comparisons to another lighter than usual but extremely technically sound center, Jason Kelce of the Eagles, who is listed at 295 pounds.
Cowboys Wire recently profiled Linderbaum as well.
“There isn’t much missing with this prospect. Linderbaum has a Travis Fredrick type of ceiling. Which is ironic considering the Cowboys are still yearning for the type of influence and production they haven’t seen since before Frederick’s illness that caused him to miss all of 2018. While Tyler Biadasz has shown spurts of improved play there’s no denying that Dallas’ offensive line has regressed since they lost their pivot man.” – Tyler Browning, Cowboys Wire
As Browning notes in his final thoughts, current center Tyler Biadasz left fans hopeful after Year 1, but it seems clear he’s in no way a real replacement for former All-Pro Travis Frederick, something Linderbaum could eventually be.
Despite the fact that centers are one of the most undervalued positions in the first round, it still seems unlikely that Linderbaum makes it quite this far.
In his four-round mock draft from late January, Cowboys Wire’s managing editor, KD Drummond also chose Linderbaum for the Cowboys, that is after a trade up of ten first round spots. Our residential draft expert, Tyler Browning, gave his full scouting report of the top center in the class, and he noted that Linderbaum “will be unlikely to be available where Dallas selects and he’s likely not going to be within reasonable trading reach.”
The sentiments above are spot on, as Linderbaum should go before Dallas has a chance to select him. However, one of the most unpredictable quarterback classes in recent memory could become a huge X-factor.
Cowboys’ fans should be hoping that as many quarterbacks as possible are selected before pick 24, and there are a consensus five that are usually in first-round consideration. Four quarterbacks were taken between picks nine and eighteen in PFF’s recent mock draft, causing multiple blue chip prospects at positions of need to fall into Dallas’ lap, including the best center prospect in the last few years.
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