Dak Prescott quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 regular season and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and he was recognized for those efforts on Friday when he was named the 2016-17 NFL Pepsi Rookie of the Year.
Prescott beat out teammate Ezekiel Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones for the honor voted on by fans.
A fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State, Prescott wasn’t expected to take a snap—much less start every game—for the Cowboys as a rookie.
“I think Prescott, from the day he started, has gotten better and better and better, and I know the one thing that he has done so exceptionally well, he’s protected the football, and his numbers will only get better as more experience comes his way,” Fox Sports analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw said of Prescott, per the Dallas Morning News‘ Barry Horn.
And as NFL.com’s Gil Brandt noted, Prescott “played extremely well, putting up some of his best performances in Weeks 15 and 16, just when people were beginning to doubt him.
“The Cowboys’ season ultimately came to a disappointing end when the Green Bay Packers pulled off an upset in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but Prescott’s poise in the pocket all season long proved he’s the team’s sure-fire signal-caller of the future.
“WITH ELLIOT BY HIS SIDE, THE COWBOYS SHOULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH ATOP THE NFC FOR YEARS TO COME”.
Rayne Dakota “Dak” Prescott (born July 29, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Intended to serve as a backup in his rookie season, Prescott became the Cowboys’ starting quarterback after original starter Tony Romo was injured in the preseason. He earned recognition during the year for his on-field success, which included helping the team clinch the top seed in their conference. Prescott set several rookie quarterback records and was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl.
In Week 6 of the 2016 season, Prescott, with 176 attempts, broke the record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception to start a career; a record previously held by Tom Brady at 162 attempts in 2000-2001. This is also the record for consecutive attempts without an interception by a rookie, having broken the record set by Carson Wentz at 134 earlier in 2016. Wentz and Prescott had been exchanging the rookie record after having broken the Chad Hutchinson record of 95 set in 2002.
Prescott finished his 2016 rookie regular season with a record 11 games with an over 100 NFL passer rating, breaking the rookie record of 9 games set by Russell Wilson in 2012. He tied the Ben Roethlisberger 2004 rookie record of winning 13 games as a starter. His NFL passer rating of 104.9 broke Robert Griffin III‘s rookie record of 102.4 set in 2012. His 0.87% interception to attempts (459-4) broke the rookie record of 1.27% (393-5) set by Robert Griffin III. He threw 23 TDs and 4 INTs for a TD to INT ratio of 5.75 breaking the previous rookie record of 4.00 (20 TDs and 5 INTs) set by Robert Griffin III, and for a TD to INT differential of 19 breaking Russell Wilson’s rookie record of 16 (26 TDs and 10 INTs). His 67.76% pass completion percentage broke the rookie record of 66.44% set by Ben Roethlisberger. In the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 18, 2016, Prescott, with an 88.9% completion percentage, broke the rookie single game record of 87.0% set by Mike Glennon in 2013.
