Report: The Dallas Cowboys 'love' Michigan (C) Cesar Ruiz; is he Frederick's replacement?

Everyone thinks they know what the Dallas Cowboys need. But past drafts have proved that almost no one ever knows what Jerry and Stephen Jones will actually do once they’re on the clock. 2013 is a prime example. Dallas held the 18th overall selection. But when the time came to make a pick, the Cowboys made a trade instead. They gave the 18th pick to the defending NFC champion 49ers, who took safety Eric Reid. The Cowboys slid to 31st with an extra third-round selection in their back pocket. They used their late first-round pick on center Travis Frederick. But with Frederick now retired from football and the Cowboys holding the 17th pick in this year’s draft, NBC Sports‘ Peter King says that the Cowboys may be looking at using a similar strategy to nab his long-range replacement. From King’s “Football Morning in America” column this Monday: “[The 17th pick]’s too high for a center,” said one personnel wag, “but they love the Michigan center (Cesar Ruiz), and they could trade down a few spots and still be sure of getting him.” Interesting: a plug-and-play heir to Travis Frederick. Ruiz is universally considered one of the best interior offensive linemen in the class. As King notes, taking him with the 17th pick would be seen as a reach. But so was taking Frederick in the first round in 2013. But Frederick was named the starter on the first day of OTAs, started every game as a rookie, and made the All-Rookie team. Oh, and the club got wide receiver Terrance Williams out of that draft-day deal, too. Joe Looney looks to be the man in the middle with Frederick now gone (Adam Redmond and Connor McGovern are still there, too). But at nearly 6-foot-3, over 300 pounds, and not even 21 years old, many believe that Ruiz has “elite” status written all over him and could develop into one of the best centers in the game.