Guard or Tackle: Where Should Cowboys Play Connor Williams?

Despite already having one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys were fortunate enough to have former University of Texas Longhorn offensive lineman Connor Williams fall right in their lap in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. His addition to an already impressive OL unit should make them even more dominant.

Deciding to take Connor Williams with their second-round draft pick was a no-brainer for the Dallas Cowboys. Williams was considered by many as a surefire first-round draft pick, but due to inconsistent game film his last two seasons at UT, he saw his draft stock fall. But, you won’t hear any complaining from him or the Cowboys.

Connor Williams knows he couldn’t landed in a better place than the Dallas Cowboys. It would be any offensive lineman’s dream to be surrounded by as much talent as the Cowboys have on their OL. I know if I was him, I would be impatiently waiting the opportunity to put on pads and get to work.

There shouldn’t be any questions as to who the starting five offensive lineman will be for the Dallas Cowboys when the 2018 season gets underway. The only question that may still be unanswered is where everyone will eventually lineup when the season starts?

Everyone is expecting Connor Williams to step into the vacant left guard position between Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith. He was after all announced as a guard when the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the second round, so it seems plausible. But, I’m not so sure that’s his best position.

Dallas Cowboys OL Connor Williams

The Dallas Cowboys would love to just insert Williams at LG and hit the ground running, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did a little reshuffling to find the best starting five. Fortunately, I think this only involves two players… Connor Williams and La’el Collins.

Connor Williams and La’el Collins are very similar players when you take into account their versatility to play different positions and their measurable’s. The only real difference is that Collins (320) has about 20 pounds on Williams (300) right now.

That doesn’t really sound like a big deal. But, based on the eye test alone, Collins looks much more like an offensive guard right now than Williams does. I may be reading a little bit too much into it, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility the coaching staff takes a good long look at both players to determine where they fit best.

Luckily, they have the rest of the off-season to figure this out. But, it would be better to make a decision sooner rather than later. It would be in everyone’s best interest for the offensive line to start building their relationship with one another and building on that continuity.

Whatever decision the Dallas Cowboys come to, you can bet that they believe they have put the best starting five on the field possible. And, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see them opening up running lanes for Ezekiel Elliott this season.

Where do you think the Dallas Cowboys should play Connor Williams?