The Morning News' David Moore put it gently when he wrote that the Cowboys' selection of Wisconson center Travis Frederick in the first round of the NFL draft is "not likely to satisfy [the] fan base."
The football cognoscenti had predicted he'd be a second or third round pick. Even Frederick himself has said he didn't expect to be taken on the first day of the draft. He's done an admirable job anchoring Wisonsin's stout offensive line, but he looked awful in NFL workouts and his 40-yard-dash time was "remarkably bad."
The Cowboys badly need to fix their offensive line, but the general consensus is that Frederick isn't the player to do it. Cue the angry rants about Jerry Jones' well-documented failures as an NFL GM.
But even the most cynical of fans can see a bright spot in the selection of Frederick. ESPN's Michael Smith explains:
Travis Frederick is a good pick off his beard alone.
— Michael Smith (@michaelsmith) April 26, 2013
And Frederick's beard is indeed righteous, a glorious tangle that's part Viking raider, part unkempt hipster. Even if Frederick turns out to be a mediocre pro, his facial hair could prove to be a tremendous asset. Don't be surprised if it has magical powers that, say, keep error-prone quarterbacks from late-game collapses. We'll be watching.
