MADISON, Wis. – ‘O-Line U’ has produced another NFL offensive lineman.

A 2019 consensus All-American and Wisconsin’s first winner of the Rimington Award as the top center in the country, Tyler Biadasz joined the fraternity when Dallas Cowboys selected him in the fourth round (No. 146 overall pick) during Saturday’s annual NFL Draft.

The Cowboys traded one of their two fifth-round picks (No. 164) and a future fifth-rounder to the Eagles for the chance to take Biadasz.

In the last 10 NFL Drafts, the Badgers have seen 12 former offensive linemen selected.

Although considered one of the top interior linemen in the draft, Biadasz dropped in draft projections due to injury concerns after having hip surgery last spring and shoulder surgery this offseason. There also wasn’t a big run of interior offensive linemen selected in the first round Thursday. Six offensive tackles were picked compared to only one guard/center, as the New Orleans Saints picked Michigan center/guard Cesar Ruiz at No. 24.

Five interior linemen were selected in the second and third round Friday, including centers Matt Hennessy (Temple) and Lloyd Cushenberry (LSU) in the third round. Five offensive guards were also selected in the fourth round, including Wisconsin native Ben Bredeson, who played at Hartland Arrowhead and picked Michigan over the Badgers.

It turned out to be a perfect landing spot for Biadasz, as the Cowboys' starting center - former Wisconsin starting center Travis Frederick - announced his retirement this offseason. Biadasz will compete with Joe Looney (16 starts at center in 2018) and Adam Redmond for reps.

"Obviously he's one of the greats," Biadasz said of Frederick. "He's an animal and I try molding my game just like that. I think our body types are similar. I look forward to keeping in place what he's done for the Dallas organization."

Biadasz, from Amherst, Wis., began playing center after arriving at Wisconsin in 2016. He started 41 consecutive games after his redshirt season and had a large impact on tailback Jonathan Taylor’s success.

“I think he's kept developing his confidence,” Wisconsin offensive coordinator/line coach Joe Rudolph said before the Rose Bowl. “It's not always easy for the center, especially some of the tough looks that you see at times and you see like some things that come in and their game plan, fronts or pressures. And to be able to get that communicated and sometimes it could be the first time you see it.

“It takes a lot of confidence. It takes a lot of the experience of having done it. And I think the biggest thing I saw in him was he always had a steadiness of approach. That's just helped him continue to grow. Never took something that didn't go well for him, never took it to heart and thought I couldn't do it. And never thought when he did great that he had it all figured out. Just a steadiness of approach to keep improving. And I think that's why you see him where he is now.”

Biadasz’s BadgerBlitz.com Draft Profile

Strengths: While Biadasz only played center during his three seasons at Wisconsin, he enters the draft following his redshirt junior season having the ability to play any interior position on the offensive line. Across the spectrum of draft analyst websites, Biadasz is praised for his movement, his ability to explode out of his stance, his awareness of defensive stunts and gap assignments, his power and his ability as a run blocker. The latter shouldn’t be a surprise considering the Badgers’ run-first philosophy, but Biadasz’s talent as a run blocker comes from his hand placement and striking ability between the shoulder pads, upper-body strength and ability to stifled defenders without drawing penalties.

Through the regular season, Biadasz grading out with an identical 86.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus that the site gave him in 2018, adding that he improved greatly in pass protection during his junior season. Biadasz allowed just two total pressures through the regular season and was the only center with elite grades in both the run game and the passing game, a reason why he was a consensus All-American and why PFF rated him a top-10 center for three consecutive seasons.

While they don’t factor into his PFF grade, Biadasz’s leadership skills are undeniable, evidenced by the fact the Badgers had to break in four new starters entering 2019 and didn’t miss a beat with Biadasz calling the shots in the middle of the line.

Weaknesses: There’s been criticism of his pass protection, as one site called it solid but unspectacular. I’ve seen it written that Biadasz suffers from poor balance, causing him to drop to his knees when overpowered (a sign that he would struggle against speed defenders), he flails at the second level more than you’d expect, relies too much on his upper-body strength rather than his legs and that he’s not a “classic Wisconsin blocker in terms of strength or grip strength.”