Cowboys: Is Dak Prescott The New Russell Wilson?
The Dallas Cowboys could find their own version of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in Dak Prescott of Mississippi State University.
Most won’t argue that the Dallas Cowboys should be on the lookout for a future quarterback as either a backup to oft-injured starter Tony Romo or even an eventual replacement. This can be accomplished through either the free agent signing period beginning in March or the 2016 NFL Draft in late April.
Unless all of the talk and rumors surrounding Johnny Manziel or Robert Griffin III end up a precursor of either veteran ending up with the Cowboys next year, the draft is going to be the priority – but when?
Most would also agree that the Cowboys will not select one of the top two or three quarterbacks with their fourth-overall selection in the annual selection meeting in Chicago. It’s hard to say that owner and general manager Jerry Jones would select a quarterback anywhere in the first round as it’s possible that the Cowboys could trade down.
Until further scouting and evaluation of prospects like Jared Goff of California or Paxton Lynch of Memphis are undertaken, it’s fun to scroll down a little deeper into the pool of potential quarterbacks who might end up in Dallas later this year.
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In case you’re not sold on Goff, Lynch or even Connor Cook of Michigan State, another name to get to know is Dak Prescott, a red shirt senior from Mississippi State.
Upon looking over a couple of hours of this quarterback, two names jumped out at me.
The first was Romo.
The other was Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
If you rolled up Romo and Wilson you’d have a splitting image of Prescott, at least where his style of play is concerned.
Prescott is a few inches taller than Wilson and weighs a good 25 pounds more. His arm looks to be a bit stronger than the Super Bowl winner from Seattle and he’s absolutely a dual threat quarterback.
Prescott completed 66.2 percent of his passes in 2015 while throwing for 29 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He threw for 3,793 yards during his final season and led the Bulldogs to a 51-28 win over rival senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the North Carolina Wolfpack.
Prescott also rushed for 588 yards on 160 carries and 10 touchdowns last season, which probably doesn’t do this area of his game justice. The SEC had finally learned to game plan for Prescott by ’15, but he just missed 1,000 yards rushing during his junior campaign and cleared 800 yards as a sophomore.
If we’re talking about later round quarterbacks that the Cowboys might be interested in, North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz has been a rather hot topic in recent days. Since Wentz could end up being selected earlier than many are projecting, Prescott could be a player that the Cowboys could develop during the remainder of Romo’s career. There would be no need for Prescott to even step on the field for at least a year, and this could mean a smooth quarterback transition for Dallas somewhere down the road.
Given the number of project players that Dallas has taken fliers on over the last several years in the draft, Prescott would seem to be the type of player that could pay dividends sooner than later, especially if Romo can’t manage to stay healthy enough to play out the remainder of his contract.
Prescott and a few team mates were jumped in Panama City, Florida last March, an altercation that video images show as being unprovoked. While not seriously injured, the way Prescott handled the situation was telling, at least in terms of his maturity and mental state moving forward.
In other words, Prescott might fit that ‘right kind of guy’ image that Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett seems so fond of.
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Named First team All-SEC for his volume of work last season, the Cowboys will get an up close and personal review of Prescott, along with Brissett and Wentz, at the 2016 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Odds are strong that one of the eight quarterbacks in attendance at this year’s game on January 30 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium will end up finding their way to Dallas, drafted or not. If that prospect should end up Prescott, watch for his name to be called somewhere between the third and sixth rounds of the ’16 draft.