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IRVING, Texas -- Since Art Briles took over Baylor’s football program, the Bears have had some of the most explosive offenses in college football.

The Cowboys hope Terrance Williams continues this recent trend.

While Robert Griffin III receives most of the attention, Baylor has had some pretty good wide receivers the past two years.

Tennessee took Kendall Wright in the first round last year (No. 20 overall), and Cleveland used a second-round pick in the supplemental draft on Josh Gordon.

The Cowboys considered using a pick in the supplemental draft on Gordon last year but did not want to use a second-rounder like the Browns.

Wright caught 64 passes for 626 yards with four touchdowns. Gordon caught 50 passes for 805 yards and five touchdowns.

“When players like Josh and Kendall continue to make plays and plays, that just lets me know that we can fit right in, too,” Williams said. “When they call my number, that’s my chance to make plays.”

Pick: Georgia Southern safety J.J. Wilcox, No. 80 overall

Pros: He plays faster than his timed speed (4.57 40-yard dash). He has good size (6-foot-0, 213 pounds) and is a physical tackler. Has the ball skills of a former wide receiver. Smart player.

Cons: Does not have much experience at safety. He spent his first three college seasons as a wide receiver and running back. He’s still learning how to read keys and needs to improve his recognition.

Cowboys fit: Wilcox will have a chance to earn a starting job during training camp. He’ll be competing with Barry Church (coming off torn Achilles tendon), Matt Johnson (fourth-round pick who didn’t play as rookie due to injuries) and Will Allen (stop-gap free-agent signing).

Could have had: Alabama DT Jesse Williams, Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore, Louisiana Tech WR Quinton Patton, Missouri Southern State DT Brandon Williams, West Virginia WR Stedman Bailey

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys concluded the second day of the draft by selecting strong safety J.J. Wilcox from Georgia Southern in the third round on Friday night.

Wilcox was the first defensive player taken by the Cowboys in the draft.

Dallas has a need at defensive back, and after missing out on Texas' Kenny Vaccaro and bypassing LSU's Eric Reid in the first round, the Cowboys didn't have a chance to get one of the better safeties in the draft when Jacksonville took John Cyprien from Florida International.

The Cowboys are trying to upgrade at safety after the release of veteran Gerald Sensabaugh. Barry Church, Matt Johnson, Danny McCray and Will Allen are the current safeties.

Scouts said Wilcox (6-0, 213 pounds) isn't very good in deep coverage but does a nice job of getting near the line of scrimmage to make plays in the run game. Wilcox played wide receiver in high school and as late as 2012. It's that ability to play offense that gives the Cowboys some hope he'll do a nice job of finding the ball and reading quarterbacks and wide receiver routes.

Pick: Baylor WR Terrance Williams, No. 74 overall

Pros: Big receiver (6-foot-2, 208 pounds) who was tremendously productive as a Baylor senior, catching 97 passes for a nation-leading 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns. Doesn’t have blazing speed (4.52 40-yard dash), but he’s a glider with big-play ability. Has good body control and balance.

Cons: Needs to improve as a route runner. Not an explosive athlete. Has to make the transition to the NFL after playing in a spread offense at Baylor and not facing much press coverage. Has reputation for being inconsistent with effort. Has small hands (8.6 inches).

Cowboys fit: Williams can play outside in three-receiver sets, when Miles Austin shifts to the slot. He could potentially be a starter opposite Dez Bryant in the future if the Cowboys decided to part ways with the pricey Austin.

Could have had: California WR Keenan Allen, Georgia DT Johnathan Jenkins, Alabama DT Jesse Williams, Arkansas-Pine Bluff OT Terron Armstead, Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys drafted Baylor wide receiver Terrance Williams in the third round on Friday night. Williams is one of two picks in this round for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys acquired this pick in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday which got the Cowboys center/guard Travis Frederick from Wisconsin.

Selecting Williams gives the Cowboys three offensive players taken in the first three rounds of this draft. Frederick was taken in the first round on Thursday and tight end Gavin Escobar was picked up in the second round on Friday night. Williams, 6-2, 210 pounds, is a smooth athlete with good speed (4.52 40 in the combine). Scouts admire his ability to find the quarterback when he's under duress.

His size could be a problem, especially if he runs routes across the middle and has to face linebackers and safeties. Williams, from W.T. White high school in Dallas, was considered one of the better receivers in college football.

Getting Williams adds some depth to the wide receiving corps. There is no question that Dez Bryant's status is secure, but the Cowboys expressed some concern about Miles Austin's health, dealt with hamstring injuries the last few seasons and Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley and Danny Coale are also on the roster battling for playing time.

Harris emerged as the No. 3 receiver toward the end of the season but now has some competition.

IRVING, Texas – As the third round goes on, let’s offer a quick reminder of the Cowboys’ 28 pre-draft national visitors.

As of the 66th pick, 14 players that came to Valley Ranch have been selected and 14 remain.

S Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International
S Eric Reid, LSU
G Chance Warmack, Alabama
RB Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State
RB Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
DL Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
RB Knile Davis, Arkansas
G Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina
OL Justin Pugh, Syracuse
DT Kawann Short, Purdue
DT Jordan Hill, Penn State
C Travis Frederick, Wisconsin
S Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson LB Sio Moore, Connecticut
LB Gerald Hodges, Penn State
CB B.W Webb, William & Mary
WR Charles Johnson, Grand Valley State
RB Giovani Bernard, North Carolina
OL Kyle Long, Oregon
S J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern
LB Brandon Magee, Arizona State
TE D.C. Jefferson, Rutgers
TE Dion Sims, Michigan State
WR Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
S Jakar Hamilton, South Carolina State
DT Bennie Logan, LSU

IRVING, Texas -- Gavin Escobar, the Cowboys' second-round pick, dismissed the notion he didn't start every game the past two seasons at San Diego State.

Escobar, who elected to enter the draft after his redshirt junior season, started 11 games the past two seasons. He didn't have great overall numbers, including his 543 receiving yards as a junior, but he picked up 13 touchdowns over the two-season span.

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Nate Newton joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the first round of the NFL draft. Listen

"It's all based on the scheme," Escobar said when asked about his lack of starts. "There's different packages I might be in, and, also, the start of the game might not really be the tight end is playing the majority of the downs."

When Escobar decided to enter the draft, NFL scouts told his college coach, Rocky Long, he was projected to go in the third round. At the time, Long said of Escobar's decision to the San Diego Union-Tribune: "I never know if it’s a good or bad decision. I let the young man and his family decide. I gave him my opinion and want him to make that decision. I told him we wanted him to come back and the benefits of coming back, but families do a good job of deciding these things."

Escobar did finish his career leading the team in receiving in 2012, and his 17 career touchdowns placed him 11th on the school's all-time list. Escobar also became the 26th player in school history to register 100 receptions during a career.

"It was a great journey this last season," Escobar said. "We finished as co-champions [of the Mountain West conference], and I had a great time. A lot of good players, they like using tight ends, so it was great for me."

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' newly drafted second-round tight end, Gavin Escobar from San Diego State, said he hopes to one day replace the team's Jason Witten.

"I'm always striving to be a complete tight end like Jason Witten," Escobar said Friday night in a conference call with reporters. "If I'm able to take over his role once he's gone, that would be amazing."

PODCAST
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, who coached Travis Frederick at Wisconsin, joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss what kind of player the Cowboys got with their first-round pick in the NFL draft. Listen

In three seasons at San Diego State, Escobar caught 122 passes for 1,646 yards with 17 touchdowns. He had just 11 starts the past two seasons but picked up 13 touchdowns.

Escobar is considered a pass-catching tight end, which matches up with the current roster of James Hanna and Witten. There was a thought the Cowboys would get a blocking tight end, something they haven't had since Martellus Bennett was on the roster.

"Right now, I just need to get bigger and work on the run game more," Escobar said. "That's one main thing I need to excel on to be a complete tight end, a three-down tight end."

IRVING, Texas -- Can Gavin Escobar do what Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett couldn’t?

For the third time since 2006, the Cowboys have selected a tight end in the second round.

Fasano was the 53rd overall pick in 2006 but lasted only two seasons before he was traded to Miami. He caught 28 passes in two seasons.

PODCAST
Galloway & Company react to the Cowboys trading down in the NFL draft and their first-round pick Travis Frederick. They also discuss Jerry Jones' comments on why the Cowboys did not select Sharrif Floyd. Listen

The Cowboys took Bennett in 2008 with the 61st pick, and he never lived up to the expectations.

Now, they are going with Escobar, considered a pass-catching tight end, to play behind Jason Witten.

Fasano and Bennett were able to find more success elsewhere in part because Witten never came off the field to allow them playing time while with the Cowboys.

Can the Cowboys design their offense in a similar way to how New England uses Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez?

If they don’t, then this pick comes with a lot of questions. If they do, then it makes some sense.

Witten, who is entering his 11th season, is coming off an NFL record for catches in a season by a tight end (110) and was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time.

Pick: San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar, No. 47 overall

Pros: Big frame (6-foot-5 7/8, 254 pounds) and fluid athlete. Has outstanding hands, excellent ball skills, fights for the ball in traffic and can adjust to the ball in the air. Good route runner and a big-play threat despite not having great speed.

Cons: He struggles as a blocker, especially when lined up at the traditional tight end position. He tends to get overpowered and doesn’t show much pop at the point of attack. Does not have good speed (4.84 40-yard dash).

Cowboys fit: The Cowboys needed a second tight end who could be a physical, point-of-attack blocker. Escobar does not address that need. Like James Hanna, a 2012 sixth-round pick who showed promise as a rookie last season, he is primarily a receiver. Can Jason Garrett get him involved in the passing game after failing to do so with former second-round picks Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett?

Could have had: Alabama RB Eddie Lacy, California WR Keenan Allen, SMU DE Margus Hunt, South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger, Arkansas-Pine Bluff OT Terron Armstead, Kentucky OG Larry Warford, Baylor WR Terrance Williams

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys opened the second round by selecting San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar.

The Cowboys have three picks on Friday, and they used the first one to add depth to the tight end position.

According to the scouts, Escobar was projected as a third- or fourth-round pick.

Escobar is more of a pass-catching tight end, which makes it an interesting move by the Cowboys, who were seeking someone who was more of a blocker. Escobar, 6-foot-7, 254 pounds, is a fluid athlete who does a nice job of running routes and creating separation from defenders.

However, he doesn't have explosive ability as a run-blocker and needs to work on his hand placement.

He started 23 games during a 39-game career with San Diego State, during which he caught 122 passes for 1,646 yards and 17 touchdowns. Escobar's inconsistency forced the coaches to start him in just 11 games the last two seasons.

He did catch 13 touchdowns those two seasons and finished his career averaging 13.4 yards per catch.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys will sign center Travis Frederick to a four-year deal eventually, but what will it be worth?

Look to last year’s No. 31 overall pick, Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin.

Martin received a $3.376 million signing bonus as part of a deal worth as much as $6.778 million. Martin will receive $5.472 million guaranteed.

Frederick figures to earn slightly more than what Martin received last year.

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts for Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2013 NFL draft.

Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 6 p.m. ET. See you there.

A look at the Scouts Inc.’s top available prospects at Cowboys need positions and overall entering the second day of the draft:

PODCAST
Nate Newton joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the first round of the NFL draft. Listen

OVERALL
20. LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
24. WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee
27. QB Geno Smith, West Virginia
29. OT Menelik Watson, Florida State
30. DE Cornellius (Tank) Carradine, Florida State
31. WR Robert Woods, USC
33. RB Eddie Lacy, Alabama
34. TE Zach Ertz, Stanford
35. QB Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
36. S John Cyprien, Florida International

SAFETIES
36. John Cyprien, Florida International
43. D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina
78. Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse
96. Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
103. J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern

PODCAST
Galloway & Company react to the Cowboys trading down in the NFL draft and their first-round pick Travis Frederick. They also discuss Jerry Jones' comments on why the Cowboys did not select Sharrif Floyd. Listen

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
38. Johnathan Jenkins, Georgia
48. Kawann Short, Purdue
49. Jesse Williams, Alabama
64. Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State
67. Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State

WIDE RECEIVERS
24. Justin Hunter, Tennessee
31. Robert Woods, USC
37. Keenan Allen, California
57. Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
59. Terrance Williams, Baylor

RUNNING BACKS
33. Eddie Lacy, Alabama
56. Montee Ball, Wisconsin
75. Andre Ellington, Clemson
77. Christine Michael, Texas A&M
88. Le'veon Bell, Michigan State

OFFENSIVE TACKLES
29. Menelik Watson, Florida State
51. Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
99. David Bakhtiari, Colorado
121. Brennan Williams, North Carolina
124. David Quessenberry, San Jose State

The Dallas Cowboys had one of the more confusing first rounds of the draft Thursday. They got the offensive line help they needed in Wisconsin center Travis Frederick, but they went about it rather clumsily, trading down from No. 18 to No. 31 and taking a guy they might have been able to get tonight if they'd waited. This leaves their pick open to many possible interpretations. A lot of people hated it. I, personally, was not among them. The one thing on which I think everyone can agree is that the Cowboys' first round was a head-scratcher, and that it required a little bit of time to process and settle on a conclusion.

Which is why I like the point Jean-Jacques Taylor makes in his column for ESPNDallas.com. Jacques acknowledges that the Cowboys addressed their most glaring need, and that trading out of pick 18 was a fine idea if they didn't have anyone there they liked. But ultimately he concludes that "this team's track record of poor drafting and questionable decision-making doesn't instill much confidence that they got it right Thursday."

Understand, the problem isn't necessarily with Frederick, because the Cowboys definitely need help on the offensive line.

The problem is it feels like the Cowboys wasted an opportunity to get a much more talented player with the 18th pick -- and they still could've had Frederick, the top-rated center and 70th-rated prospect according to ESPN's player rankings. Or somebody just as good, such as California's Brian Schwenke (ranked 72nd) or Alabama's Barrett Jones (ranked 97th) in the second round.

The crux of this is the trust factor. I build a fine case that what the Cowboys did makes sense. Watch:

• They didn't have a player they liked at 18, so they got out of the pick and picked up an extra third-rounder.
• Sure, you can argue that they should have been able to get more in return for the No. 18 pick, but you can't get what's not offered, and if you don't want to pick at 18 then any extra pick is worth the move.

PODCAST
Nate Newton joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the first round of the NFL draft. Listen

• The difference between what it might cost to sign the 18th pick and the 31st pick could be about $300,000, and if you don't think that matters to the Cowboys this offseason then you haven't been following very closely.
• It's possible Frederick would have been there when they picked at No. 47, but it's also possible he wouldn't have been. Eight offensive linemen went in the top 20 picks this year. Six in the top 11. If the Cowboys turn out to have overvalued an offensive lineman in 2013, they won't be the only ones.
• The offensive line was their most significant need by about 1,000 miles -- the single most crippling deficiency the team has year in and year out. If they take two more offensive linemen tonight, they won't be wrong. Reaching for an offensive lineman in this draft was not a bad idea for this particular team.

But all of that reasoning and logic would, as Jacques insinuates, be a lot easier to swallow if it were coming from, say, the Baltimore Ravens, or some other team with an established reputation of nailing the draft year in and year out. The Cowboys' recent drafts have produced some good players who appear to be part of a solid future core, but in general Jerry Jones has a well-earned reputation of drafting poorly. And that's a big reason why what happened Thursday night doesn't sit right with a lot of people. The Cowboys may have had their reasons for doing what they did, but history makes it hard to trust that their reasons were the right ones.