Ranking the Cowboys’ last 10 first-round draft picks

5. Travis Frederick, C (2013)

Dallas was heavily criticized for their moves in the 2013 NFL Draft when they traded down from No. 18 to No. 31. To drop back 13 spots, they received a mere third-round pick (No. 74 overall) which was rather low compensation for such a move. To make matters worse, they took Travis Frederick at 31, which was seen as a major reach. Some even said the Cowboys took a third-rounder at the end of the first.

Maybe the compensation was too low but the Cowboys didn't do terribly as they added Terrance Williams with the 74th pick. Williams gave them 232 receptions for 3,337 yards and 20 touchdowns in six seasons, which isn't bad at all. But the real reason Dallas was happy with this draft was Frederick.

The Wisconsin product started from the moment he arrived in Dallas and gave them 96 starts in six years. An iron man on the field, Frederick didn't miss a game in his first five years and was named to the Pro Bowl four times while netting three All-Pro selections.

Frederick then missed the entire 2018 season when he was diagnosed with Gullain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease. He returned in 2019, made another Pro Bowl, and finished fourth in voting for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. However, he didn't feel he could play up to his standards any longer and retired before the 2020 campaign.