Dallas Cowboys First-Round Pick Travis Frederick Will Start at Center
By Josh Sanchez
The Dallas Cowboys made a head-scratching pick at the end of the first-round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but team owner Jerry Jones has begun to explain the selection and you can understand why the team went ahead and chose Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Travis Frederick.
Dallas selected Frederick with the No. 31 overall pick in the draft, but according to their draft board he was the No. 22 ranked player. In their eyes, they got value and a future starter.
“I had hoped we could come out of this thing with a legitimate starter, a legitimate starter, and he will start,” Jones said, via Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “He will start. First-rounder and not starting? I know coach wants there to be competition and should be, and we all know that’s the way it is.”
While Frederick has the versatility to play guard and center, you can expect to see him replace former undrafted free agent Phil Costa in the middle of the Cowboys line.
“We’re going to put a base in there where you don’t have a knock-back issue,” Jones said. “Bill Callahan is a big center guy. After your left tackle, he likes the center position as far as the best players on the offensive line. Well, we’ve got Costa. We’re pretty proud of Costa, frankly. Well, can this guy play guard? You bet he can.”
Cowboys fans may not like to know that the team considered trading up to land Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack before ultimately passing, but they can at least find comfort in knowing they hold an extra third-round pick.
If Frederick turns out to be as good as the Cowboys think he can be, the Dallas fans should be happy that they will no longer have to struggle through the days of Phil Costa at center.