Whenever the Dallas Cowboys make a pick in the NFL draft, they typically do so with a plan for that player in mind. The front office and coaching staff must identify the player's short-term role while developing a long-term plan to evolve the player's talent.

Every player is unique and because of that, each player's initial role and long-term development plan changes based on their skill set, personality and draft slot.

In the first four rounds, teams typically select players under the auspices that they can become immediate contributors, even if it's not in a starting role. Players selected in Round 5-7 are typically projects whose first-year contributions are usually limited to special teams, though there are rare exceptions.

This all holds true with Dallas' 2019 draft class. While the first three picks -- Trysten Hill, Connor McGovern and Tony Pollard -- project to have important roles next season, the team's five selections in Rounds 5-7 -- Michael Jackson Jr., Joe Jackson, Donovan Wilson, Mike Weber and Jalen Jelks -- will likely make the biggest impact on special teams in Year 1 unless injury forces the team's hand.

Because of that, we are going to focus on the first three picks and attempt to project their roles as rookies on the Cowboys.

Trysten Hill, DT

Year 1 role : Rotational under tackle who also spends time at nose tackle

Second-round pick Trysten Hill's skill set boasts a considerable amount of upside, but unless he develops significantly by the time the regular season rolls around, he will likely begin his career as a backup.

This shouldn't surprise Cowboys fans because the coaching staff has proven to value experience in the starters, eschewing draft picks from being full-time starters as rookies.

Last year, it took an injury to Sean Lee and outstanding play by Leighton Vander Esch in his absence to finally move the rookie linebacker into a starting role. In fact, when Lee initially returned from his hamstring injury in Week 7, Vander Esch was forced to return to a backup role. It took Lee injuring his hamstring again to move Vander Esch permanently into the starting lineup despite him playing like a top-five off-ball linebacker for much of the season.

Though he missed a lot of time due to injury during the first half of his rookie season, it took an injury to Orlando Scandrick to thrust Chidobe Awuzie into a starting role in 2017. Taco Charlton didn't start a single game as a rookie, and neither did DeMarcus Lawrence -- though he missed much of training camp and the first half of the season due to injury.

While Dallas' insistence on playing veterans over rookies can be frustrating at times, in Hill's case, it's the best short-term plan for his development. Hill is a perfect fit in Rod Marinelli's defense, but the areas where he needs refinement could cause him to struggle in a full-time starting role. Here's an example:

Trysten Hill's footwork against the run needs a lot of work. Base narrows too consistently. He's often off balanced when engaged. Gets his feet underneath himself too much. Lead to him getting blown off the ball more than someone with his size/power should. pic.twitter.com/SzNQFdssx7 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) April 10, 2019

When Hill plays with the proper pad level and a strong base, he's an outstanding asset against the run and pass. Unfortunately, he's very inconsistent in both areas, allowing his pad level to swell and base to narrow all too often, which leads to him getting displaced out of his gap too frequently.

On top of that, Hill lacks the library of hand techniques to fully maximize his athleticism and physical traits as a pass rusher. His lightning-quick first step, upfield burst and insane power when engaged gives him a phenomenal foundation to build on, but he's currently missing a little bit of the secret sauce (refined hand technique) to really produce as a pass rusher early on.

Hill's quick first step jumps off the screen. Tough for a center to handle that kind of quickness/explosiveness off the snap. Hill can certainly penetrate and play in the backfield. pic.twitter.com/EId6IRMDli — John Owning (@JohnOwning) April 10, 2019

Hill's biggest impact initially will come from his ability to penetrate and disrupt against the run while creating pressure opportunities for his teammates on stunts and twists.

If Hill was pushed into a starting role immediately, his inconsistent base and pad level would be exposed, likely leading to a considerable amount of variance in his play from snap to snap. However, in a backup role with fewer snaps, Hill can focus on keeping his pad level low with a proper base without fatigue causing him to revert to bad habits.

Hill's future with the Cowboys is bright, and the starting under tackle (3-technique defensive tackle) gig is certainly in his future, but it's important to not put too much on the rookie defensive tackle's plate.

Unless an injury forces their hand, the Cowboys would be wise to put Hill in a reserve role in Marinelli's defensive line rotation in Year 1 before moving him into a starting role in Year 2.

Connor McGovern, OL

Year 1 role : Primary backup at both guard spots and center

One of the more difficult Year 1 roles to predict within the Cowboys draft class is third-round pick Connor McGovern. This is mostly because the Cowboys could conceivably go in many directions and without any practices to guide us, it's difficult to ascertain exactly what Dallas' short-term plan is for McGovern.

With the Cowboys having told Connor Williams that he will eventually be moved out to tackle, which will likely happen in 2020 after La'el Collins' contract is up, the team could opt to move Williams to right tackle now to give the former Longhorn a jump on the transition, which would allow McGovern to slide into the starting left guard spot immediately.

The Cowboys could also opt to keep Williams at left guard for this season while allowing him to moonlight as a tackle with the second and third strong offensive lines -- similar to how Zack Martin has moonlighted as an emergency center at times during his career -- relegating McGovern to a reserve role in his rookie season.

Even as a backup, McGovern's role isn't clearly defined, as Joe Looney's presence creates competition for the primary swing interior offensive line position. Though he had his struggles, Looney performed admirably in Travis Frederick's absence last season, which will likely weigh heavily on the minds of a coaching staff that, as stated above, values experience.

As things stand now, a reserve role would be best for McGovern in Year 1, as his footwork in pass protection needs considerable refinement and could cause him to be a bit of a liability until fixed. Here's an example:

McGovern's needs to clean up his footwork in pass protection. Doesn't cover enough ground with his first step, lets his outside knee get outside his foot, heel clicks then establishes a good base. Want him to play properly balanced throughout his steps/set. pic.twitter.com/8cmK7oVTOK — John Owning (@JohnOwning) April 27, 2019

McGovern's footwork in pass protection was a real issue for him in college, which is why he ranked 79th among interior offensive linemen in the 2019 draft in pass blocking efficiency, which "weighs sacks a bit heavier than hits and hurries and produces a rating that reflects the most efficient pass blockers on a per-pass-blocking snap basis," per Pro Football Focus.

The Cowboys would be wise to give McGovern a year to refine his footwork so that he can be as effective as possible the moment he slides into a starting role. Having said that, McGovern is more talented than Joe Looney and will likely outplay him during training camp and the preseason, even with his warts in pass protection. Thus, McGovern's best Year 1 role would be as the primary backup to the three interior offensive line positions (left guard, center and right guard).

Tony Pollard, RB

Year 1 role : Change-of-pace back who plays on every special teams unit and moves all over the formation on offense

If you believe the post-draft statements of Dallas' front office and coaching staff, fourth-round pick Tony Pollard's Year 1 role with the team is easy to predict, as the team has essentially laid it out for everyone in the media.

When asked about Pollard, Jason Garrett said:

"Obviously, we took Pollard first, someone we think is a really good space player. He's an excellent receiver. He's very good running the football, particularly out on the perimeter. We also feel he can run the ball inside, and he's an outstanding special teams player, not only a great returner, a lot of great returns for touchdowns, but we also believe he can be a four-phase player on special teams. What we like most about him is what he can do on offense with the ball in his hands and we feel he can really help us in that area making some plays in space."

The question remains as to whether the Cowboys will follow through on these statements and actually utilize Pollard as a chess piece on offense to create favorable mismatches against the defense. The Cowboys have teased this kind of role before, however, injuries and changing circumstances prevented the team from really following through in prior years.

As long as Pollard remains healthy, he should have no problem fulfilling that role for the team, and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore could have the creativity to maximize that role in Dallas' offense.

Like I was saying, get Tony Pollard the ball in space and #prosper. I hope DAL explores the full spectrum of Pollard's skill set and finds different ways to get him the ball in space. pic.twitter.com/G2R4FZodJy — John Owning (@JohnOwning) May 2, 2019

Pollard possesses likable traits as a ball carrier and as a receiver, which is why he can be a movable chess piece for the Cowboys offense. He's a playmaker with the ball in his hands, and the Cowboys would be wise to get him the ball in space as much as they can, adding another explosive element to the Cowboys offense.

Really excited to see what Tony Pollard adds to the kick return game. Cowboys could use some juice there. pic.twitter.com/7dne8BGMOm — John Owning (@JohnOwning) April 30, 2019

When he's not on offense, expect Pollard to also be a core special teamer and the primary kick returner, as he was one of the best kick returners in the nation during his time at Memphis.

Unlike the players above, Pollard's Year 1 role will likely mirror his role for the rest of his Cowboys career.

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Twitter: @JohnOwning