Dak Prescott, Quarterback
School: Mississippi State | Conference: SEC
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22
Height/Weight: 6-2 / 230 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd or 4th Round
NFL Comparison: Cam Newton, Donovan McNabb, Tim Tebow
College Statistics
Player Overview
Dak Prescott hails from Haughton, Louisiana and attended Haughton High School. As a three star recruit from the class of 2011, he was a highly recruited quarterback and he received a host of scholarship offers from the following schools: Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Lafayette, LSU, McNeese State, Memphis, North Texas, Northwestern State, and TCU.
He led the Haughton High Buccaneers to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the 4A state quarterfinals and was named First-Team All-State by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. As an upperclassman (2010, 2011) he completed a total of 303 passes, threw for 5,032 yards and 66 touchdowns while also running the ball 90 times for 951 yards and 17 touchdowns in his senior year. He committed to Mississippi State in July 2010 and enrolled in the spring semester of the next year.
His career at Mississippi State was one for the record books...literally. He broke 38 school records and received more awards on top of that. At the Senior Bowl on Jan 30, he had a very impressive game.
Our MVP. Everybody's MVP. Congrats @15_DakP ! #HailState #SeniorBowl https://t.co/qcszE0LiGp
— MSU Football (@HailStateFB) January 30, 2016
Dak Prescott (7-10, 61 yds) delivers solid 2-min drive, 5-yd TD to Paul McRoberts puts South up 17-3 at the half. #SeniorBowl
— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 30, 2016
Senior Bowl crowd with a huge pre-game ovation for Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott, though that might have been aided by cowbells.
— Creg Stephenson (@CregStephenson) January 30, 2016
Strengths
- Prescott had success and struggles in the film that I saw on him vs LSU. One of his strengths is his ability to lead his team down the field in a two minute offense situation. He was calm, cool and collected during the the last two drives in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs. Unfortunately they lost that game 21-19 due to a delay of game penalty late.
- Another strength he has is his ability to stand in the pocket strong and make the tough throws with accuracy. LSU pressured Prescott a great deal and there were times he had to scramble out of the pocket and throw the ball away but he always came back with a positive play.
- Against Texas A&M, he was in the shotgun for all of the plays I saw on film and he was on the move. That’s a strength of his. When he’s on the move and he can use his legs, he’s dangerous. In situations where there were called QB runs, he almost always got at least 4-5 yards or more and scrambling when his receivers were covered was when he broke big runs.
- Against NC State, I saw his ability to keep plays alive and get his team yards. I also was able to see his accuracy on throws both in the pocket and outside of the pocket. The throws were for the most part on target and it impressed me to find out just how accurate of a thrower he was.
Weaknesses
- Needs to work on throws he makes when his feet are not set. That could prove to be a problem in the NFL
- I have questions about his ability to transition to a pro-style offense where he’s under center most of the time and dropping back. Mississippi State ran a shotgun-read option style of offense which suited his strengths but how will he do in a system that isn’t that?
Here's what well known people in the football world have said about him (Courtesy of his school profile):
"The thing I really like about [Dak] Prescott is that there is something more to him. He believes in this program and believes in these guys. He wants to lead them. He told me he was visiting his girlfriend and stopped by the Georgia Dome because he wanted to see where he was going to play. I don’t say that to make him sound arrogant because that is what you want to see.
There is a confidence that you have to have as a quarterback and your team has to know you have that confidence. If they see that they will have that confidence. A lot of people call it swag, or the "it" factor or whatever. From what I have seen from [Dak] Prescott he has that. His story is a story we should share more in sports."
– Tim Tebow, SEC Network
"I’d say he might be the best player I’ve ever coached. If you look at my coaching resume, that’s pretty impressive."
– Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Head Coach
"Dak Prescott is a heroic figure here, on his way to becoming the most popular and revered athlete in Mississippi State history. He has put a mid-level football program on his back and carried it into terra incognita. His leadership skills and competitiveness are Tebow-esque. He stands to be one of the transformative figures in the 21st century in college football. Handsome and charismatic, he projects an indestructible confidence that attracts followers within the locker room and from the outside as well. He's become a superhero on the field but still a mama's boy off it, a young man who misses his best friend." – Pat Forde, Yahoo.com
"I think the biggest compliment you can ever give a guy is would you want a guy on your team. He’s just a class act and a great guy to be around. When he’s on the field he just exudes confidence. The team feeds off that. He’s not going to be intimidated; he’s been on big stages. And he’s a good player."
How He Would Fit on the Redskins
Prescott would make a position change to either wide receiver or running back with the Redskins. Unless, quarterback depth becomes a problem. I don't believe he will be drafted by the Redskins but he will be a successful NFL player. He is a special talent.