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Prescott is Head and Shoulders Ahead of Other Rookie Quarterbacks

Nearly everyone this preseason has gone gaga over Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s performance this NFL preseason by. Well, unless you’re https://www.seccountry.com/mississippi-state/colin-cowherd-on-dak-prescott-im-not-building-my-franchise-around-a-guy-that-got-a-dui">Fox Sports radio personality Colin Cowherd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86bBYeF0AyA">Unless you’re Cowherd or https://twitter.com/colincowherd/status/533745272858607617">thinks like he does, it is hard not to be impressed with the way Prescott has played in two games. It is the preseason, after all, but with each throw and each play, the budding legend of Dak grows.

In his first start in his first game, Prescott went 10 of 12 passing for 139 yards with two touchdown passes. The two incompletions were drops from a backup tight end against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Internet went wild, and rightly so. Prescott’s performance was great for a guy who was picked in the fourth round and expected to sit behind Kellen Moore as the third-string guy. Instead, Moore broke his leg, and Prescott was thrust into the backup spot.

It seemed right to slow down the hype train with just one game under his belt. But http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/dallas-cowboys-dak-prescott-touchdown-highlights-tony-romo-miami-dolphins-081916">Prescott went on to put on a show in his second preseason game.

When Dallas played the Miami Dolphins this past weekend, Prescott got to work with both the starters and No. 2 players on the depth chart. It might have been a new week, but it was the same performance, if not better, than week one.

Prescott went 12 for 15 passing for 199 yards and two touchdown passes and ran two more in for touchdowns. In his second game, Prescott had a four-touchdown game, has yet to throw an interception and has taken just one sack.

https://twitter.com/ColinCowherd/status/766803026149449728">Cowherd wasn’t impressed, but the rest of the Internet was going bonkers for Prescott. In the preseason, http://www.nfl.com/player/dakprescott/2555260/profile">Prescott has gone 22 of 27 passing for 338 yards with four touchdowns passing and two touchdowns rushing.

He has an 81.5 completion percentage and a 158.3 passer rating. The former Mississippi State University star leads all rookie quarterbacks in nearly every passing stat.

https://twitter.com/ColinCowherd/status/768275600423329792">Cowherd might not be impressed yet, but maybe he can be convinced if he sees the stats.

So far in the preseason, http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&statisticCategory=PASSING&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&experience=0&tabSeq=0&qualified=false&Submit=Go">22 quarterbacks, including Prescott, have seen some sort of playing time. Those 22 quarterbacks include the 15 that were drafted and the rest who were signed as undrafted free agents.

During the draft, http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-position">seven quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Prescott, and http://insider.espn.com/nfl/draft/positions/_/year/2016/quarterbacks">one was drafted just four spots behind him. One of the quarterbacks, http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/62386/jets-christian-hackenberg-stands-alone-among-rookie-qbs-no-pt">Christian Hackenberg, who the New York Jets drafted out of Pennsylvania State University, has yet to even take one snap in the preseason.

For our purposes, only quarterbacks who have attempted 20 or more attempted passes will get a full rundown. That means Cleveland Browns quarterback http://www.nfl.com/player/codykessler/2555387/profile">Cody Kessler, drafted out of the University of Southern California in the third round, doesn’t make the list with his five pass attempts.

The first overall pick of the draft was http://www.nfl.com/player/jaredgoff/2555334/profile">Jared Goff out of the University of California, Berkeley by the Rams. This preseason, Goff is 12 out of 21 passing attempts for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He is completing just 57.1 percent of his passes with a 69.5 passer rating and has been sacked three times.

http://www.nfl.com/player/carsonwentz/2555259/profile">Carson Wentz was the second overall pick out of North Dakota State University by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has passed for 89 yards on 12 out of 24 passing attempts with no touchdowns and one interception. He has completed 50 percent of his passes for a 41.8 passer rating and no sacks.

The Denver Broncos took http://www.nfl.com/player/paxtonlynch/2555316/profile">Paxton Lynch out of University of Memphis in the first round. He has passed for 187 yards on 21 of 33 pass attempts with two touchdowns and one interception. He is completing 63.6 percent of his passes with an 83.6 passer rating and six sacks.

The New England Patriots selected North Carolina State University quarterback http://www.nfl.com/player/jacobybrissett/2555261/profile">Jacoby Brisset. He has completed 16 of 26 pass attempts for 150 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He has a 77.4 passer rating and is completing 61.5 percent of his passes with three sacks.

The Oakland Raiders took http://www.nfl.com/player/connorcook/2555332/profile">Connor Cook out of Michigan State University 35 spots in front of Prescott in the fourth round. He is 13 of 20 in pass attempts for 172 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He has a 71.3 passer rating while completing 65 percent of his passes with no sacks.

The Buffalo Bills selected http://www.nfl.com/player/cardalejones/2555426/profile">Cardale Jones just four picks after Prescott out of Ohio State University. He has passed for 245 yards on 17 out of 33 passing attempts with one touchdown and one interception. He has completed 51.5 percent of his passes with a 73.4 passer rating and two sacks.

Check out the numbers of all the http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&statisticCategory=PASSING&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&experience=0&tabSeq=0&qualified=false&Submit=Go">rookie quarterbacks to see just how successful Prescott has been this preseason. This link will take you to http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&statisticCategory=PASSING&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&experience=&tabSeq=0&qualified=false&Submit=Go">all the quarterbacks this preseason to see their stats next to what Prescott has done.

Like most of the quarterbacks detailed here, Prescott isn’t expected to start. He is supposed to sit behind Tony Romo, and he is still putting up these numbers. That makes it even more amazing just two games into the preseason.

No question, Prescott passes the eye test, and his numbers are outstanding. Maybe Cowherd will believe the numbers if he can’t believe his eyes.

Prescott will try to shine again this Thursday, Aug. 25, against the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is at 9 p.m., but coverage begins at 10 p.m. on NFL Network.

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