With all of the visits that took place this week and those that are scheduled, the Dallas Cowboys certainly appear to be doing their due dillegence in preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft. In that vein, Dallas traveled north to Wisconsin to attend the private workout of center Peter Konz; a first round prospect who did not work out at the University of Wisconsin's Pro Day.
Konz is rated by most services and evaluators as a mid-to-late first round pick and is normally the first center listed. As all Cowboys fans know, center might just be a bigger area of concern for Dallas; especially after the club went out and signed two free agent guards in Nate Livings and Mac Bernadeau. The club has several young prospects that could man the spot; including last year's starter Phil Costa, backup Kevin Kowalski and even 2011 draft picks David Arkin and LG Bill Nagy. All are capable of playing center and rumor has it that Arkin was being groomed since the draft for the transition. Whether or not the club saw enough to have confidence in any of these young guys is the big question mark.
Konz has his own question marks; as he has suffered through some medical issues in his life and career. He missed the final two games of the 2009 season when doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs. He missed the final three games of the 2011 season due to a dislocated ankle. But when he played, Konz excelled.
Konz is a very intelligent player with a wide frame that you look for in an interior lineman. He stands 6'5 and weighs 315 lbs; although his 33 inch arms doesn't exactly solve part of the problem that Phil Costa presented. He does however do very well in getting his hands into the defensive lineman quickly. He does pretty well in both pass protection and run blocking.
If Dallas looks to trade down from pick #14, don't be surprised if it's because Konz is one of the options they are considering. Adding a potential second rounder and picking up a starting center wouldn't be to shabby of an early haul.
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