Former Memphis Tigers Running Back\Wide Receiver Tony Pollard has received a lot of hype from the Dallas Cowboys ever since they took him in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He supposed to be a dynamic weapon as a runner, receiver, and kick returner on special teams as well. There hasn't been much to justify this hype as of yet, only flashes in practice, but consider Quarterback Dak Prescott impressed.
Here's what Prescott had to say recently about Tony Pollard:
“One of the most exciting players, to me, of this training camp. The things he's been able to do running the ball, catching the ball out of the backfield. He's making plays and he's really an intelligent dude.”
“One of the most exciting players”, that's probably one of the biggest complements Dak Prescott could have possibly given about Tony Pollard's play thus far in his short time with the Dallas Cowboys.
Let that sink in for a minute…
With players like Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Tavon Austin, and the free agent addition of Randall Cobb, it's been Pollard who Prescott identified as one of the most exciting players. If that's not a glowing endorsement of No. 36 I don't know what is. It's always good to have the quarterback in your corner when you're looking to earn some playing time on offense, especially as a rookie.
As the starting QB, Dak Prescott has a lot to say in what takes place on the offensive side of the ball for the Dallas Cowboys. With Prescott in his corner, Tony Pollard could actually become the playmaker the Cowboys were envisioning when they drafted him. Whether it's as a receiver, running back, or kick returner, it's looking as if Pollard is the real deal.
Dak Prescott wasn't done praising Tony Pollard though. He's also been impressed with Pollard's ability to pick up things quickly.
“When we're in the offense, we're in the offensive units, we're in the team meetings and Coach calls him out on his responsibility, without a hesitation he's getting it right. That's what you want to see from a young guy. That's what the players and coaches want to see, and he's been delivering.”
I guess that speaks to the “he's really an intelligent dude” aspect from Prescott's first quote about Pollard. It's one thing to have all the physical attributes needed to play, but sometimes it's the intellectual side of things that keeps players, especially rookies, from getting on the field early. That doesn't seem to be the case with Tony Pollard though.
From the sound of things I guess we should expect Tony Pollard to see quite a bit of playing time early and often in his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. It's still a little premature to anoint him as the next Alvin Kamara, who he's been compared to, but it is encouraging to hear he's at least putting his best foot forward. Hopefully this is just the start of bigger and better things to come for Pollard.
