Dak Prescott’s position, the quarterback position, is one of the most difficult to evaluate in the NFL. As hard as it can be for a quarterback to understand and execute an offense against a defense that is trying to keep them off balance, it can be equally difficult to determine where each quarterback ranks compared to his peers.
Last week, The Sporting News attempted to do just that with their 2019 Quarterback Rankings. It’s a pretty good list, and I highly recommend checking it out.
This was the criteria for how Vinnie Iyer determined his rankings:
“These rankings are based on how each QB performed last season and the upside of how each might perform in 2019. No matter how many Super Bowl rings or MVP awards a QB has won, or the number of efficient passing seasons he has posted in the past, history is a small part of the equation. We thought about where each QB ended up last season in terms of effectiveness, production and durability, and then we thought even more about how his talent and offensive support set him up for success (or lack thereof) this season.”
Vinnie Iyer – The Sporting News
Dak Prescott came in at number 14 on the list, three spots behind NFC East counterpart Carson Wentz.
Here’s what NFL Analyst Vinnie Iyer had to say:
“Prescott dazzled as a rookie in 2016 and slumped as a sophomore in 2017. Last season, he was closer to his rookie form in a year that largely landed between both extremes. Prescott got hot in the second half of the season once he clicked with new No. 1 wideout Amari Cooper, creating a trickle-down effect that should continue with more legitimate overall weapons in 2019.”
Vinnie Iyer – The Sporting News
While these lists are rather subjective, and it can be a difficult task, I think Vinnie’s pretty close with regard to where Dak Prescott sits in the NFL at this point in his career.
It’s hard to argue with his top five.
Each could have an argument for being the best quarterback in the NFL.
Patrick Mahomes has just won the NFL MVP, Tom Brady has won all the Super Bowls, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers put up ridiculous numbers year in and year out, and Russell Wilson has just been made the highest paid player in NFL history.
While I think Dak Prescott probably sits in the 9-15 range, here are the five quarterbacks ranked ahead of Prescott:
- Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
- Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
- Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
I feel there’s an argument to be made that Prescott is a few spots too low.
As an avid Oklahoma Sooners homer, I find it a bit presumptuous to have Baker Mayfield as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL. Mostly because he’s only played 14 games to this point in his NFL career.
Mayfield had a tremendous rookie season and has given Cleveland Browns fans hope that the franchise is finally headed in the right direction.
As much as I love Baker Mayfield and believe that he’s going to be a great NFL quarterback, it’s hard for me to put him in the top 10 at this point in his career.
Ben Roethlisberger is easily a top-10 quarterback. He has skins on the wall and, over the last several seasons, has been a prolific passer in the NFL.
Some of the games he plays in the offseason, like talking about retirement, aren’t great, but it’s hard to argue he hasn’t had a borderline Hall of Fame career.
The most difficult argument, I think, comes when you compare Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson.
The two quarterbacks seem to be on similar career trajectories at this point.
Watson has a better passer rating, a slightly better completion percentage, and he has more total touchdowns per game than Dak Prescott in his career.
If Watson had played as many games as Dak Prescott to this point, at his current touchdown rate, he’d have 108 total touchdowns. That’s 23 more than Prescott.
The two that I have the biggest issue with on this list are the two he gets compared to the most. They were taken first and second overall in the same draft in which Dak Prescott was taken in the fourth round; Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.
Dak Prescott’s thrown for nearly as many touchdowns as Carson Wentz, who leads the three, but if you consider how many touchdowns Prescott has rushed for in his career, he sits 13 total touchdowns ahead of Wentz and 16 total touchdowns more than Jared Goff.
Dak Prescott has a better career passer rating than both of those quarterbacks and is right there in yards per attempt with both guys.
- Dak Prescott can claim more team success than Carson Wentz.
- One could argue that Jared Goff didn’t play his best on the way to representing the NFC in the most recent Super Bowl.
- Dak Prescott has started every game of his NFL career, while Carson Wentz has missed eight games due to season-ending injuries each of the last two seasons.
- Durability is a huge issue for Wentz at this point. I’d rather have a guy who you know will be on the field.
If I were going to re-rank Dak Prescott with the five quarterbacks ranked directly ahead of him, I’d go:
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
- Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
- Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
- Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Of course, this is my attempt to be as unbiased as possible, and I would completely understand if you wanted to rank them differently.
There’s no perfect way to rank players in the NFL and I applaud the Sporting News guys for putting in the effort.
I can see arguments in favor of Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, and Deshaun Watson ahead of Dak Prescott, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.
Dak Prescott is a top-12 quarterback in the NFL and an ascending player in this league.
If you were going to rank the six quarterbacks listed above, how would you rank them? Let us know in the comment section.
