The Dallas Cowboys used day three of the 2016 NFL Draft to selected players for need. They opted for three offensive and three defensive players in an attempt to build some depth. They also took some chances on the final day of the selection meeting.
In the fourth round of the draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Charles Tapper, a defensive end from Oklahoma, followed later in the round by selecting a possible big-time steal in the draft in Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott.
In the sixth round, players selected by the Cowboys were cornerback Anthony Brown (Purdue), strong safety Kavon Frazier (Central Michigan), running back Darius Jackson (Eastern Michigan) and tight end Rico Gathers (Baylor).
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There are some very interesting selections in these six picks, and adding those with their day two selections of linebacker Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame) and defensive tackle Maliek Collins (Nebraska), and even first-round selection running back Ezekiel Elliott (Ohio State), there is some risk with most of these picks, but a lot of potential reward and success as well.
As for the day three selections by the Cowboys, let’s take a closer look at the selection of Prescott, as it is a very good value pick for the franchise. It is to be assumed Prescott will have time to learn and build into a possible heir apparent to current starting quarterback Tony Romo, who is 36 years old and coming off a couple injuries last year that cost him basically the entire season, plus the rest of the Cowboys quarterback depth chart, which includes Kellen Moore.
Prescott is a 6-2, 230-pound quarterback from Mississippi State who has a 5.4 grade by NFL.com, and a player the Cowboys seemed to really want to have on their team since the NFL Combine. At the February combine, Prescott ran a 4.79 40-yard dash, with a 32.5 inch vertical jump, a top performer broad jump of 116 inches and his three-cone drill time was 7.11.
Eric Prisbell of USA Today quoted Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett on the selection of Prescott:
"“We wanted to get a young, developmental guy in here,” Jason Garrett said. “You have to look at his production first. He won a lot of games at Mississippi State. Physically, he is big, he’s strong. He can throw, he can run. He is a very experienced player.”"
Prescott plays like he’s on his way to becoming pro-ready sooner rather than later and should most likely be in the running to be the top backup for Romo this season, a spot on the roster that became very important last season as the Cowboys won just one game without Romo on the field.
Mark Bulgarian of NFL.com wrote this analysis of Prescott being drafted by the Cowboys with the 135th overall pick:
"“Dallas had long been rumored to have preferred Prescott as a backup option to Tony Romo. There are physical, athletic, and leadership traits comparable to Tim Tebow, but Prescott is vastly more pro-ready as a passer. He’s an ideal backup as he continues to work on overall consistency, but he’ll bring a dynamic element if his name’s ever called.”"
As for the value of Prescott, getting him in round four, this is a steal. He had a third-round grade by some draft experts.
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Of all the quarterbacks in this draft, I honestly believe Prescott can eventually compete at just as high a level as those selected before him if given the proper coaching and reps this offseason. Plus, he’s joining an offense that is pretty solid with one of the best offensive lines in the league, a star wide receiver in Dez Bryant, and like mentioned before, he shouldn’t have to be “the guy” from day one.
At the collegiate level playing in the SEC, Prescott played in 13 games his senior season, where he was 316-for-477 for 3,793 yards, averaging 8.0 yards per completion. He totaled 29 touchdowns and threw just five interceptions for a 151.0 passer rating. He can also run the football, with 160 rushes in his final collegiate season, totaling 588 yards and 10 touchdowns, having a 3.7 yards per rush average.
Against Arkansas on Nov. 21, 2015, he threw for 508 yards with five touchdowns and one interception and also rushed for 46 yards that game. In his game versus Alabama, the eventual college football national champions (on Nov. 14, 2015), Prescott was 22-of-43 for 300 yards passing with one interception.
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When he played against possibly the best defense he faced all season in that game with the Crimson Tide, Prescott didn’t have a touchdown pass, but against a team that had four defensive players drafted, the 300 yards passing is pretty darn good.
Prescott had three games this past season where he averaged 9.0 yards per carry, with games of six, nine and 13 carries, and he ran for a total of four touchdowns in those games, as that shows he does have the ability to make a difference with his rushing game, and not just with his arm.
What current Cowboys quarterback does that remind you of?
Both Romo and Prescott have a similar style of being able to throw the football, but also make noise with their rushing skills as well, plus both are built nearly the same as they are each listed at 6-2, 230 pounds.
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We all know there is still some work to do for Prescott, as he does need to become a little better at making room to throw the football under pressure and fine-tune parts of his game, including his poise in the pocket. If Romo is able to stay on the field and Prescott can get the proper time to work himself into a professional quarterback, the Cowboys could receive great value with this fourth-round selection.