Grading the Cowboys second-round pick of OL Connor Williams

It was touch and go for a bit as offensive lineman after offensive lineman went off the board in the early stretch of round 2 of the NFL Draft. But the Dallas Cowboys wound up with a true winner at 50, picking Connor Williams, the OT from Texas who will be switching to guard (he was announced as a guard at the podium, which is a pretty good indicator).

Let me just cut to the chase here: This pick gets an A+. Williams was a Dallas Day visitor for the Cowboys, and was widely rated as a late-first-round or very-early-second-round talent. He was pretty clearly the best offensive lineman left on the board, and quite arguably better than more than one taken before him. On the Draft Show at DallasCowboys.com, they also pointed out that he can play all positions along the line, so they also get depth at center in case of the unthinkable. Here is an excerpt from his scouting report at NFL.com.

Williams has been a personal favorite since studying his freshman season, but his 2017 tape didn’t match his previous body of work. Williams seemed to lose some lateral quickness and had troubles holding up at a high level in protection. A move to guard or center is a possibility depending on how his arm length measures out. Williams is a plus run blocker with plug-and-play technique across the board. If he regains his 2016 form, he will be a good NFL starter. If not, he’ll be an average NFL starter.

He does have the obligatory injury history that is apparently required for all Cowboys second-round picks. But he was back on the field at the end of last season, and hopefully the medical staff got this one right.

But the most important thing about this is that one of the biggest problems facing Dallas for 2018 has now been fixed. While there was a lot of focus on players like Will Hernandez and James Daniels to solve the problem, Williams is right there with them, and was projected by many to have gone long before 50. This also makes the first-round pick of Leighton Vander Esch look better, because they got their new stud linebacker and did not miss out on an O lineman they coveted.

And we can now put the idea of trading pick 50 to the Seattle Seahawks for Earl Thomas to rest.

I will readily admit to not being totally objective here, since I have been beating the drum for getting a guard since January. So sue me. This is an absolutely great pick. If you don’t think so, let us know.