Frederick says Martin was better than he was as a rookie

The standards are high for a first-round pick playing on the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line.

Tyron Smith made an impact at right tackle as a rookie. Travis Frederick had a terrific rookie season at center. Yet right guard Zack Martin might end up having the best rookie season of all of them.

“I think he’s in a better spot than I was when I was a rookie after my first game,” Frederick said. “I would say he’s probably at least to where I was halfway through the season. You can tell that he’s ahead and he’s going to be a really good player. I’m really excited to be playing with him.”

Frederick recalls being on the ground too often during the early stages of his rookie season. Frederick says Martin, who played tackle in college and set a Notre Dame record for games started, is “naturally more adept” than him.

Head coach Jason Garrett refuses to compare players, so he won’t measure Martin’s progress against Frederick’s from a year ago. But Garrett will gladly rave about the rookie right guard.

“He’s just a real good football player,” Garrett said. “He’s talented. He’s physically want you want in every way. He’s big enough, he’s strong enough, he’s explosive. He’s technically sound. He’s an experienced player, started a lot of games at Notre Dame at a very high level. He’s just very passionate about the game. I think he’s very instinctive about the game. He wants to get better every day.

“So you put all that stuff together, you have a great starting point for a guy who can come in on Day 1 and plays snaps for you in the NFL. It’s never seemed too big for him. It didn’t seem too big for him the other day in the ballgame and he’s going to get better and better. When you have all those traits -- the physical traits, the mental traits, the emotional traits and the desire to be great -- I think you have a chance to really, really grow every day.”