A native of Sharon, Wisconsin, Frederick attended Big Foot High School in Walworth, Wisconsin, where he was an all-state two-way lineman. He helped his high school team to second place in the 2008 WIAA Division 4 state playoffs. Frederick was also on Big Foot's track team. He finished second in the shot put at the 2008 'BDN' Invite, with a throw of. He took silver second in the discus throw at the 2008 WIAA Sectional Championships, with a throw of.
Recruiting
Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Frederick was ranked as the No. 83 offensive tackle prospect in his class.
College career
Frederick attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and played for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 2009 to 2012. After graduating high school early to participate in spring practice, Frederick became the first true freshman in Badgers history to start a season-opening game on the offensive line, when he lined up at center against Northern Illinois. An ankle injury in week 2 knocked him out of the starting lineup, but he returned for the final two games, at left guard, after center Peter Konz was sidelined and John Moffitt was moved to center. For the season, he played in five games, starting four. In order to preserve a year of Frederick's NCAA eligibility, Wisconsin coaching staff decided to redshirt him in 2010. In his redshirt sophomore season, Frederick replaced John Moffitt, starting 11 of 13 games at left guard. For two games, he had to substitute for Peter Konz at center. Following Konz's departure for the 2012 NFL Draft, Frederick was moved to center his junior season. He started all 13 games at center and was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly.
Considered the best center in his class by Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, Frederick decided to enter the 2013 NFL Draft as an underclassman. He was projected to be a second- to third-round selection. At the NFL Combine, Frederick ran a 5.58 in the 40-yard dash, second-slowest among offensive lineman. He also posted a below-average 21 repetitions in the 225 lb bench press.
In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys traded down in the first round with the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a third-round pick. In the first round, the team selected Frederick after eight offensive linemen were drafted before him. This decision caused a stir in the media because it was not only seen as a reach, but the trade was also criticized for bringing poor compensation after moving down 13 positions. Frederick was named a starter from the first day of Organized Team Activities in the preseason, replacing Phil Costa, who had been the starter in the previous two years. He became the first rookie in franchise history to start every game at center and was selected to the NFL All-Rookie team.
2014
The next year, he continued his development, by anchoring what was arguably considered as the best offensive line in the league and was also named to his first Pro Bowl.
2015
In 2015, he had to work with four different starting quarterbacks with varying degrees of knowledge of the team's offense, which required him to make more protection calls. He was named to his second Pro Bowl.
2016
On August 13, 2016, Frederick signed a six-year, $56.4 million contract extension with the Cowboys, making him the highest-paid center in the league. Before the start of the 2016 season, Frederick was named one of the five team captains. That year, Frederick helped pave the way for rookie running backEzekiel Elliott to the NFL rushing yards leader and his first Pro Bowl while protecting rookie quarterback Dak Prescott to his first Pro Bowl as well. He was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and was named First-team All-Pro, both honors being shared with fellow Cowboy offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. He was also ranked 87th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the only center in the list.
2017
On December 19, 2017, Frederick was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl alongside tackle Tyron Smith and guard Zack Martin for the second straight year.
2018
On September 3, 2018, Frederick was not placed on injured reserve to start the 2018 season after being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome on August 22. He was inactive for the first four games before inevitably being placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on October 6, 2018.
Retirement
On March 23, 2020, Frederick announced his retirement from professional football.
