With The First Pick
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Draft is no guaranteed promise, Cowboys must lock down Dak Prescott

By Cory Kinnan

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 10: Quarterback Dak Prescott #4 and team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys hug each other during pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on August 10, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 10: Quarterback Dak Prescott #4 and team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys hug each other during pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on August 10, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Going beyond the box score

Analytics have become a revolution of sorts in the NFL, as just about every team now incorporates them into their everyday gameplanning, salary cap management, and in-game situational judgement. In fact, the most successful teams in the league are usually the ones who use the influence of analytics the most (see the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles).

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Looking into the career of Dak Prescott thus far from an analytical perspective, it is evident he is one of the premier young passers in the NFL today. Prescott sits among the top of the charts in DVOA and DYAR, data from Football Outsiders, Expected Points Added (EPA), and is thought highly of by Pro Football Focus as well.

Taking a look at Prescott through the lens of Football Outsiders, he is coming off of a year where he ranked at the top of the quarterback rankings in DYAR (efficiency added on an overall basis), ranked sixth in the league in DVOA (efficiency on a play-by-play basis), and fourth overall in QBR. Last year, according to Football Outsiders, Prescott is not only a top-six quarterback in the league, but belongs in the same conversation as Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson.

Even as a rookie in 2019, Prescott finished sixth in DYAR, and third in DVOA and QBR. According to PFF (subscription required), Prescott has never finished with a grade below 72, which is still above average starter caliber, and is coming off of a season where he graded out at 80.

Needless to say, analytics are in support of Prescott as one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL today, and with that being said, he deserves to be paid as such.

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