Dallas Cowboys trade back for Frederick replacement in 7-round 2020 mock draft

Trade Alert: The Cowboys traded the No. 17 overall pick in the first round and the 164th pick in Round 5 to the Green Bay Packers for the 30th pick in Round 1 and the 62nd in Round 2

The Cowboys got some unfortunate news this offseason as former first-round pick Travis Frederick decided to call it a career. He missed the entire 2018 season as he battled Guillain-Barré syndrome and while he was able to return in 2019, he wasn’t the same player.

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And Frederick being the competitor he is, decided it was best to move on rather than not be able to perform at his best.

With him gone, Dallas has some options with Joe Looney and Connor McGovern. However, Looney was decent but not great in 2018 and McGovern missed his entire rookie season last year so what he can do is a mystery still.

Instead of rolling the dice with these two, Dallas could look to the draft to add someone such as Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz, who they reportedly love. Even with their respect for his play, the Cowboys know they can’t. take him at 17, meaning they would be willing to drop down as they do here and take Ruiz near the end of Round 1.

Ruiz will be a plug and play starter for Dallas and while this isn’t a sexy pick that’s going to lead to any huge highlights, the selection will make life easier for Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and the rest of the offense. Center is one of the more underappreciated positions in the NFL but the Cowboys have proven in the past they understand the importance and show that again here.