Cowboys Draft: Instant Reaction – Round 4 – Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys finally drafted the quarterback many fans were clamoring for. Welcome Dak Prescott to the Cowboys.
With many fans screaming for a quarterback in this year’s NFL draft, there was a lot of disappointment when they didn’t pick one until day three. Dak Prescott had spent a lot of time with the Cowboys’ staff leading up to the draft, so there was a consensus that the Cowboys would pick Prescott at some point and time.
With no picks in the fifth round, they either had to pick him late in the fourth or wait to see if he would be available in the sixth.
Prescott improved a lot in his senior year as a quarterback. He has the arm strength and the vision to be a quality quarterback. While he is known as a dual threat quarterback, he needs to learn to trust his arm at the NFL level. He can punish people in the run game if he takes off and is a good competitor. He will need to learn to not rely on back shoulder throws in the NFL.
His biggest knock is that Prescott has some of the worst footwork in the draft. He doesn’t set his feet well and will throw from awkward positions. He will have to fix this quickly. He also has the tendency to get scared when there is a lot of pressure around him and he loses focus. He will need to learn how to shift in the pocket better and trust his linemen. Some of this was the poor pass protection at Mississippi St.
He should start as the third string quarterback on the Cowboys while he learns how to be a professional and work on his mechanical flaws behind Tony Romo and Kellen Moore. He has the tools and upside to be a quality starter in the NFL, but also could be nothing better than a backup if he can’t fix these flaws. It has to be the upside the Cowboys are looking at.
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Prescott is a smart young man and learning behind someone like Romo will only help his development. It isn’t expected he will vie for the number two position this season, but could be groomed for the future.
He is a little short, but seemingly overcomes this well and uses his vision to adjust for that size issue.
With all of the clamoring for a quarterback the Cowboys could have done far worse than Prescott.
They also could have done potentially better. He fits as long as he is asked to backup for a few seasons and put a lot of effort in learning and fixing his issues. If he can Prescott could be a wonderful quarterback for years to come. It is all up to him at this point.
Watching his tape he could be another Tim Tebow or he could be another Donovan McNabb. Watch his mechanics below and it appears he is quite correctable.
Next: Cowboys Draft: Instant Reaction - Charles Tapper
Welcome to the Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott. Put in the work and you could be the starter for the Cowboys for years to come. Follow us here at SportDFW for more coverage on the draft. After the draft, I will be on Twitter with breaking news on unsigned free agents and will follow it all up in the next day with a “Who Are These Guys” article about them. Until then, see you online.