2013 Dallas Draft Class:

RD 1, Pick 31 – Travis Fredrick, C

RD 2, Pick 47 – Gavin Escobar, TE

RD 3, Pick 74 – Terrance Williams, WR

RD 3, Pick 80 – J.J. Wilcox, SS

RD 4, Pick 114 – B.W. Webb, CB

RD 6, Pick 185 – DeVonte Hollman, LB

Chris Burke (Sports Illustrated) Grade: C+

“The Travis Frederick selection was a reach. A major reach. Fellow C Brian Schwenke was taken 76 picks later and it’s hard to say Frederick is noticeably better. It got better from there, with TE Gavin Escobar, WR Terrance Williams and  J.J. Wilcox, for starters. The Cowboys, though, still need help at RT, possibly a backup RB, another pass rusher and some linebacker help. They didn’t address many needs in this draft.” – Burke

It’s difficult to look back on this draft and find many draft experts who had positive reviews about the Cowboys’ 2013 draft. Primarily because of their decision to draft Wisconsin center Travis Fredrick in the first round.

Bleacher Report listed it as one of the worst picks in the draft, while NFL Network’s Mike Mayock’s instant reaction was: “I had a third-round grade on this guy.”

However, we know now Fredrick turned into one of the premier offensive linemen in the NFL.

Listed also on Bleacher Report’s worst picks was San Diego State product Gavin Escobar. Escobar was supposed to help usher the Cowboys offense into the new age of the athletic Tight Ends.

Instead, he found himself cemented behind Jason Witten, who rarely allowed himself to come off the field. 

Escobar never toppled more than 10 catches in a season while with the team but did produce a four-touchdown season in 2014. What’s even worse is the very next tight end selected would be future All-Pro Travis Kelce.

Terrance Williams had his inconsistent moments but was a solid third-round receiver. He toppled 560 yards in his first five seasons, along with racking up 20 touchdowns. He signed a four-year, $17 million extension in 2017, but did not make it for the life of the deal.

He finished with zero touchdowns in his final two seasons in Dallas. Another “what could have been moment” as the next receiver taken was Keenan Allen.

J.J. Wilcox fell victim to a stingy system that forced him to play farther off the line of scrimmage then needed. Wilcox would have thrived in a Mark Barron style role. He did put up 214 tackles and five interceptions in his four-year tenure with the team but never turned into that complimentary safety beside Barry Church.

B.W. Webb was a small school cornerback who showed flashes of a decent slot-corner. He lasted one season as the fourth corner behind Brandon Carr, Mo Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick. He was waived after he was inactive for their fourth preseason game due to a hip flexor.

Grade: B

Reasoning: Travis Fredrick was the only member of this class to provide a steady line of good consistent play. Escobar was misused, Williams had great and disappointing moments and Wilcox was not placed in the best position to succeed until his final few years in Dallas.

However, you walked away with an All-Pro player, a very solid number two receiver for the majority of his time here and a decent safety – who, along with Jeff Heath, is the only DB to record at least three interceptions in a season since 2014. Even Escobar wasn’t a bad pick for what he should have been utilized as.