Cowboys News: Is Dak Prescott The Legitimate Heir To Tony Romo In Dallas?

Lots of comps for Dak Prescott to Tim Tebow, but I think Dak's better prospect out of college. He has chance to eventually replace Romo.

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 30, 2016

Cowboys draft potential Romo heir in Dak Prescott - Eric Prisbell, Shreveport Times
Is Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott is just a short-term backup option or a legitimate eventual successor to 36-year-old Tony Romo, Prisbell wonders.

Dallas may have also coveted Michigan State’s Connor Cook, but Oakland traded up to jump in front of the Cowboys and selected Cook with the 100th overall pick.

Regardless, there were clear indications in recent weeks that the Cowboys had their eyes on Prescott. He met with the Cowboys at the Senior Bowl, made a pre-draft visit with the team and also had a private workout with Dallas.

"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."

With Decision To Draft Dak, Cowboys Keep An Eye On The Future At QB - David Helman, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones explains that the Cowboys are "totally committed" to giving Prescott every opportunity to develop behind Romo.

Most importantly to Jones is that he’ll have an opportunity to study under a Pro Bowler in Tony Romo for the foreseeable future.

"I think this is big -- and it can be osmosis. I don’t expect Tony to be out here having midnight sessions with him, learning and getting it up," Jones said. "But I just think that a guy – I’ve used this example – but Aaron Rodgers benefited from being around Favre. He saw things in Favre’s game that could complement and add to what he’s doing. I think this is the case in spades, and it’s as much of anything as what motivated me to want to go ahead and get somebody on campus."

That’s not the first time – and likely not the last – that Jones has compared his own team’s quarterback dynamic to the duo of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, who coexisted for three years before Rodgers took the reins of Green Bay’s offense.

"We got rave reviews as far as our coaches spending some time with the other side’s coaches – they raved about him," Jones said. "We had a good feeling about it, so I’ve got a really good feeling about it. Our staff is excited – real excited – about the chance to work and develop him."

QB Dak Prescott Drafted In Fourth Round To Develop Behind Tony Romo - Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys now officially have a quarterback to develop for the future behind Tony Romo, Phillips writes.

Prescott said he went through a scheduled workout with Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson during the pre-draft process, and also was among the Cowboys' 30 allotted prospect visits to Valley Ranch earlier in April.

Now he has a chance to learn from Romo, who will enter his 11th season as the Cowboys' starter in 2016.

"He goes out there and wins a lot of games and always has the Cowboys in position to win a game," Prescott said. "I felt like I did the same thing in college. To come into the Cowboys and learn under him will be exciting."

Dallas' Patience with Dak Prescott Could Spell Tony Romo Succession Plan - Sean Tomlinson, Bleacher Report
Tomlinson walks through the Cowboys QB decision-making process that ended when they drafted Prescott.

The Cowboys desperately needed both short-term insurance behind Romo and a long-term answer once he fades away. That’s why they were initially aggressive and tried to trade back into the first round for Paxton Lynch, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

But after that failed, they saw the swift drop in talent at the position and waited. Then they waited some more.

Eventually they found a dynamic quarterback who can, at worst, be a high-upside option if Romo breaks again. Then, in two or three years' time, Prescott could indeed grow to become an offensive cornerstone.

Jerry Jones: I probably should have overpaid for Memphis QB Paxton Lynch - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Many fans are quite happy that the Cowboys didn't manage to pull off the trade-up for Paxton Lynch. Jerry Jones  regretted not having pulled the trigger on Lynch - until he picked Prescott.

Jerry Jones said he got about only 3 hours of sleep after missing out on Paxton Lynch. "I was still mad about it the next morning."

"When I look back on my life, I've overpaid for my big successes every time. I probably should've overpaid [for Paxton Lynch]."

Cowboys looking more to future in draft even after 4-12 year - USA Today
This article lays out the Cowboys thought process as succinctly as I've seen it anywhere.

The final day of the NFL draft was something like the first two for owner and general manager Jerry Jones on Saturday. He was thinking less about filling holes on a 4-12 team and more about adding potential stars at positions where the present is in decent shape.

Put another way: Jones thinks a healthy Romo and receiver Dez Bryant are better than anything else at getting the Cowboys closer to 12-4, the record for his NFC East-winning team two years ago.

"To the extent that we can interpret the picks that we've made as to how I felt when I said we're closer to the year we had the year before than our year last year, then you can interpret it that way," Jones said. "I certainly feel that way."

Dallas Cowboys show two modes in 2016 NFL draft: win now, win later - Todd Archer, ESPN
If LB Jaylon Smith's knee is sound, it could be a transcendent draft, Archer writes and gives it a cautious thumbs up.

Thumbs up: Giving this a thumbs-up is solely about the future and Jaylon Smith. When you can get two athletes who are among the top five players -- Elliott, Smith -- on your draft board, that has to be viewed successfully, but this carries a huge question. There is no guarantee Smith will regain the form he had at Notre Dame because of a serious knee injury.

After the 2017 season, however, this draft might look transcendent if Elliott is among the best runners and Smith among the best linebackers. This is a great reminder that a draft isn’t only about present-year production, but the future. And that’s where Dak Prescott fits in as a potential developmental quarterback behind Romo. The Cowboys, however, need present-day production from Maliek Collins and Tapper to help a defensive line that will rely on depth if not top-end ability, especially in the first four games of the season.

Draft reiterates importance of the quarterback - Sam Farmer, Miami Herald
Farmer offers an indictment of the win-now approach (which many observers wanted the Cowboys to take) and praises taking the long view (which many observers blasted the Cowboys for).

Whereas Romo just turned 36, the Raiders have a 25-year-old franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, a second-round pick just two years ago. So why did they take Cook? First, he was a great value in the fourth round, slipping in part because there were questions about whether he was fully embraced by his college teammates. But McKenzie is good about taking the long view, as opposed to drafting for immediate need. The Raiders could have taken a running back - they wound up taking one a round later - but they opted for an insurance policy at the most important position.

Remember, a lot of people questioned why Washington would use a fourth-round pick on another Michigan State quarterback, Kirk Cousins, in the same draft they took Robert Griffin III second overall. In retrospect, that was a smart move, as Cousins is the offensive centerpiece of that franchise.

Even with the stability of Tom Brady, the Patriots under Coach Bill Belichick have never gone more than two consecutive drafts without taking a quarterback. So it wasn't surprising they grabbed Brissett, although it's notable they used a relatively early pick on a quarterback just two years after using a second-rounder on Jimmy Garoppolo.

Check out everything that happened on Day Three of the draft:

Cowboys Draft Day 3 Recap: Dallas Gets A Quarterback And A Power Forward - Tomy Ryle, Blogging The Boys
Some needs were filled (a quarterback!) and one very intriguing non-football athlete was taken by the Cowboys on day three.

2016 NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys Undrafted Free Agent Signings Tracker - Blogging The Boys
We tracked all 15 free agents the Cowboys signed since the end of the draft yesterday.

Marinelli Explains Cowboys' Gamble On Jaylon Smith - John McMullen, TPS
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli talked about why the Cowboys picked Jaylon Smith.

"You look at a guy like this, and you look a year from now, and we got one of the best players in the draft," Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. "Obviously there is patience and all those things that go with that, but he is well worth it."

"It’s obviously tough with the doctors and all the rehab and those things," Marinelli said. "We know the type of person and the type of player that he is, no doubt about it. We were ready and willing to take him."

Cowboys LB Sean Lee underwent minor knee surgery - Drew Davison, The Star-Telegram
This news might have caused a medium-sized earthquake in Cowboys Nation on most other days, but the news was conveniently buried in the most hectic day of the draft.

Linebacker Sean Lee underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery, Stephen Jones said after the draft Saturday.

Lee, who earned his first Pro Bowl bid last season, is not expected to miss much time and will be ready by training camp, at the latest. Lee has battled knee injuries throughout his career, never playing a full 16-game season, but Jones expressed little concern about the latest procedure.

"It just cropped up," Jones said. "It’d been bothering him a little bit. Why not check it here while we’re early in the offseason and get it cleaned up?"