Dallas Cowboys revive defense, offensive line in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

The Cowboys’ once-dominant offensive line was anything but in 2020. Before the season kicked off, Travis Frederick retired which meant they lost one of their three first-round picks on the line. As for the other two, Tyron Smith played in just two games and Zack Martin was able to play in 10 before missing the end of the season.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

There was also La’el Collins, who had recently developed into one of the best right tackles in the game. Collins was also lost for the season, which meant they had to replace their center and both starting tackles before losing Martin as well. Making matters worse, there were injury concerns at center as well as Joe Looney was banged up along the way.

With all that being said, Dallas needs to start rebuilding their line. Collins should be back in 2021 but there’s far less optimism around Tryon Smith. The veteran left tackle has been dealing with a myriad of injuries for years and it’s likely time for a change. For that reason, they use their second pick in this mock on Alex Leatherwood of Alabama.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Leatherwood has played guard but really stood out as the left tackle for the Crimson Tide. He might not be as polished as some of the day one prospects, but he would be a day one starter and a massive upgrade over Brandon Knight.