Just recently Dak Prescott signed his franchise tender, making him the highest paid Dallas Cowboy ever, and is now looking to become the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. As some may know I have been rather critical of the contract situation in the past, but that is no slander on his talent level.
Prescott isn’t a bad QB, or even an average one, he is great. I just don’t think the Cowboys’ cap situation will pan out well if they give him the money he is looking for. That being said, Dak has produced arguably better stats than Russell Wilson did in his first four seasons with the Seahawks.
Dak Prescott’s First Four Seasons –
40-24 W/L record, 15,778 passing yards, 97/36 touchdown to interception ratio, 65.8% completion percentage, and 21 rushing touchdowns.
Russell Wilson’s First Four Seasons –
46-18 W/L record, 13,974 passing yards, 106/43 touchdown to interception ratio, 64.6% completion percentage, and 13 rushing touchdowns.
There is no doubt Dak Prescott is a great quarterback, and I say that because we have a quarterback that might be able to replicate that success in the same way. From Marshall, Minnesota, Trey Lance has taken the college football world by storm with his epic 2019 championship campaign with North Dakota State.
In 2019 Lance led the Bison to a 12-0 regular season record, and finished as the No. 1 seed in the FCS Playoff tournament. They rolled through the FCS Playoffs 4-0, giving them a 16-0 record and another FCS National Championship. This marked the first time that a college football team finished the season 16-0 at any level since Yale did it back in 1894.
Mel Kiper dawned Lance as the FCS version of Justin Fields, and threw for an astonishing 28 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions. He also managed to rush for an additional 1,100 yards and 14 more touchdowns on the ground.
This is when the Dak Prescott comparison really starts to take form.
That stat line is extremely similar to what Prescott was able to do as a junior/senior at Mississippi State. He finished 2014 with 3,449 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns/11 interceptions, a 61.6% completion percentage, and added 986 yards and 14 more touchdowns on the ground. Lance finished his first season under center with 2,786 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns/0 INTs, a 66.8% completion percentage, and added 1,100 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns too.
Trey Lance’s 0 interception season is outstanding, and it just proves how good of a decision maker he is. That was one thing Dak was able to do very well himself at Mississippi State, and has translated well into his NFL game. Both do a great job at never forcing passes, and taking what the defense gives them.
The 0 interceptions also comes from the fact that North Dakota State has great play calling, and has superior talent compared to most FCS teams. (They have won 8 of the last 9 FCS National Championships.) While the team success at Mississippi State wasn’t as prominent, Dan Mullen’s offense was something that definitely benefited Dak Prescott’s success as a player. In a similar sense, Lance rarely has to make a tight throw or better yet, isnt asked to.
Both quarterbacks do show the tendency to let balls get away from them, making the receiver have to make a play on the ball. Lance could correct mistakes like that by fixing his footwork, and mechanics of that nature. Being a redshirt freshman makes issues like that a lot less worrisome than they were for Prescott heading to the NFL. Even with those types of throws though, the ball rarely would be put in danger thus still maintaining their low interception rate.
While he might have toned it down during his senior season, Prescott is one heck of a problem with his legs. We saw him just miss rushing for 1,000 yards in 2014, but consistently bruised defenses in the red-zone. He isn’t a Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray, like Prescott, Lance will run through you as well. Good luck having to tackle him with a full head of steam.
Both quarterbacks are built to deliver punishment, not take it. Even as a redshirt freshman, Lance has an NFL ready frame, standing at 6’3 and weighing roughly 225 Lbs. Dak Prescott entered the NFL at 6’2, 230 Lbs. This really sets them apart in goal line situations.
NFL scouts praised Prescott for his leadership, and character in the locker room. That grittiness you see when he is fighting for extra yards is exactly what wins teams over, and rallies them together as one. What better way to show you’re a leader than to go 16-0 and win a National Championship as a redshirt freshman. Many say that Lance’s best trait is his poise, and that he doesn’t play like any freshman we have seen before. Trey Lance had to replace a quarterback who holds the most career wins in FCS history, and was able to blast those standards out the water.
“Trey Lance doesn’t get bored with success.”
Unnamed NFL scout said on Lance’s ability to not make mistakes.
Dak Prescott went from a good college quarterback, to a good NFL prospect, in a single off-season. After such a hot start, I am very intrigued to see how Trey Lance can follow up Year 1 in Fargo. If he can not just continue his success with the Bison, but also improve his mechanics and medium accuracy, we might see Trey Lance rival for the best quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft.
So will Trey Lance become the next Dak Prescott? I hate to leave you with such a blanket statement but just like with Prescott too; it all depends on where he lands in 2021. Wherever Lance gets drafted needs to understand the learning curve that he will face jumping from FCS to the NFL, and make the offense comfortable for him to work.
With that being said, Lance is far more polished than Prescott was even as a senior at Miss. State. His deep ball is prettier, has more elusiveness when running, and is going to enter the NFL a lot younger than Dak did. NFL teams might question the talent level that he has torched, but that didn’t stop Carson Wentz from going 2nd overall back in 2016.
Luckily for whatever team selects him, the Dallas Cowboys left a great blueprint on how to succeed with a quarterback with Trey Lance’s skillset.