One of the biggest problems the Dallas Cowboys have been trying to address these last couple of seasons has been their offense line, or to be more exact, the big holes in it. Without too much money to use on free agents, the Cowboys turn to the draft, hoping that Jonathan Cooper coming out of North Carolina is still going to be available when they get to make their first round pick.

Cooper is considered to be one of the top two offensive guards, along with Chance Warmack out of Alabama, heading into the draft. They’re interested in both, but all signs point towards Warmack being taken in the top 10, while afterwards it’s always much harder to predict who goes where.

The one thing that seems sure is that if Cooper is still around by the 18th pick, the Dallas Cowboys will take him. The average projection for Cooper’s position at the moment is somewhere between 12th and 15th, but things can change when you’re past the obvious premier choices. Dallas have been having problems with their O-line for the last two seasons, both in pass protection and in the running game, not to mention Romo and the snap counts being far less than perfect.

Cooper helped Giovani Bernard lead the ACC in rushing last season, being a big part of his All-American status over the last couple of seasons. In terms of helping DeMarco Murray or anyone else the Cowboys will use next season at running back, he’s perfect. The only problem is trying to move up the draft ladder to ensure he won’t be snatched prior to their selection, knowing that the quality of guards after Warmack and Cooper drops considerably, with Kyle Long out of Oregon being the third best at the position coming out of college, looking like a second round-pick.