When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz with the No. 146 overall pick they immediately gave him massive shoes to…
When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz with the No. 146 overall pick they immediately gave him massive shoes to fill.
Those shoes, as Badger fans know better than that the rest, belong to the recently-retired Wisconsin and NFL great Travis Frederick.
Frederick was drafted by Dallas No. 31 overall in 2013, a selection that came with a lot of questions and backlash (see Bleacher Report’s article titled “Travis Frederick and the worst picks in the 2013 NFL Draft“).
He went on to finish his career with five Pro Bowls appearances in seven years, one All-Pro team selection and six seasons of a full 16 games played.
The instant Biadasz’s name was called after the Cowboys traded up to select him on Saturday, the parallels to Frederick began to be drawn.
The fit with Dallas a really good one for the former Badger center, but being compared constantly to one of the best centers of the generation will cause unrealistic expectations for Biadasz as he transitions to the NFL.
Why do I say this?
First, Biadasz is not in line to start for coach Mike McCarthy‘s offense in 2020 as the team recently gave a 1-year deal to veteran center Joe Looney.
This year will give Biadasz valuable time to ensure that he is fully healthy and learn from veterans up front that know what it takes to find success at the position.
Second, even when the former Badger does earn a starting role, the bar will be set at an unrealistically-high level for him to fully live up to.
Expectations aside, though, the Cowboys do represent a great location for Biadasz to begin his career.
There are two main reasons why this will work for the Badger center: the Cowboys’ talent along the offensive line and the similarity between his future role and the one he had in college.
The Cowboys’ talent on the offensive line
ProFootballFocus ranked the Cowboys’ line as the fourth-best in the NFL during the 2019 season.
Though they obviously said goodbye to Frederick at center, the team returns the services of right tackle La’el Collins, right guard Zack Martin, left guard Connor Williams and left tackle Tyron Smith heading into the 2020 season.
2019 also wasn’t an outlier for their production up front, as the team has been in the conversation of having the best offensive line in the league for 4-5 years now.
It also has seemed, especially recently, that whoever they select at the position or sign as a free agent fits in seamlessly and finds success right away.
Once Looney’s time in Dallas is done and Biadasz is ready to start, the team’s recent history at the position and the talent that will be playing next to him point towards future success for the former Badger.
His future role (and how it almost-perfectly fits into his skillset)
Biadasz spent his college career blocking for arguably the greatest college running back of all time in Jonathan Taylor.
One of the reasons that the center became an NFL-caliber prospect?
He became one of the best run blockers college football has ever seen.
Now looking forward, he is set to play in an offense similar to that in Wisconsin as it features one of the league’s best running backs in Ezekiel Eliott and looks to dominate teams running the football.
While many agree that the former Badger needs to improve as a pass-blocker, entering the NFL with a baseline of being one of the most dominant run-blocking centers in college football history and joining a team that focuses on running the football is great news for Biadasz’s future in the league.
The verdict:
Overall, Biadasz will benefit from a year sitting behind Looney and focusing on the lesser-developed aspects of his game (namely pass protection).
Pair that with Dallas’ method of attack on offensive and their history at the position and you have a great fit for the former Badger.
