Cowboys focus on building up lines because “that’s where we want to dominate”

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There was a lot of time to discuss what the Cowboys might do with their first pick in the 2019 draft because they didn’t make that selection until the end of the second round and a lot of the discussion about their plans focused on the safety position.

Dallas went in a different direction, though. They took defensive tackle Trysten Hill in the second round and then added offensive lineman Connor McGovern in the third round while leaving a move for a safety until the sixth round. The team added two more defensive linemen on the draft’s final day and head coach Jason Garrett said that strengths in other areas don’t amount to much if you aren’t strong up front on both sides of the ball.

“That’s where you want to be strong on the fronts. At the end of the day with the offensive line and the defensive line, that’s where you want to be physical,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said, via ESPN.com. “That’s where we want to dominate. And if you can dominate those fronts, then good things happen.”

The Cowboys are talking about extensions for players like Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott, but they’ve already made big investments on both lines. Their approach to the draft shows that they’re likely to continue focusing on those spots even as they take care of players in flashier positions.