In the month and a half since the Dallas Cowboys made him their first round selection, center Travis Frederick is beginning to feel comfortable going against NFL talent each day.
Figured to be the starting center out of the gate in 2013, Frederick has a rookie mini-camp and OTAs under his belt. This week, he’s working through his first mandatory, veteran mini-camp, facing the likes of Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher--a tall task for the rookie, but one that will serve him well down the line.
“We’ve been practicing against a lot of good talent, and that’s something I wanted,” Frederick said, per the Dallas Morning News. “One of the reasons that I decided to leave early and come to the NFL was the opportunity to play against great competition every day and it certainly is great and it gives me a great chance to be better.”
One of the greatest strides the Wisconsin product has made in his short time with Dallas can be seen in his knowledge of the playbook, which has become something of a point of confidence for Frederick.
“I’m certainly a lot more comfortable, still really improving on a lot of things on a daily basis,” Frederick said. “Now my focus has really changed to the little things, the technique things here and there instead of trying to pick up a playbook and pick that stuff up. I feel like I’ve picked that up pretty well as far as assignments and stuff like that, but obviously there will be little things here and there, and once we start seeing some different defenses it’s going to be a little bit more as well.”
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