Inside The Star
Alright Cowboys fans, after researching which Hall of Fame quarterback Dak Prescott most resembles in his playing style and stats, the result is surprising.
We all know for nearly a decade, Dak Prescott has been one of the NFL’s most debated quarterbacks.
Some people praise Prescott as a top-tier quarterback, while others are quick to shoot down any notion of him being a good quarterbackof him being a good quarterback.
Fans know Prescott does not fit the Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, Patrick Mahomes mold, but fans and analysts have struggled to give him a good comparison.
If you remove all the noise surrounding Dak Prescott, ignore all the hot-takes, and look strictly at statistics and play style, a Hall of Fame quarterback comparison starts to come into focus.
The comparison will be surprising to fans, but after this article maybe fans will find it encouraging.
The closest match, by statistics, by leadership traits, and career arc, is Steve Young. The San Francisco 49ers legend whose efficiency dominated the 90s.
A lot of fans may not remember, but Steve Young never had the biggest arm, he didn’t throw 70-yard bombs, and he didn’t overpower defenses, he dissected them.
Young became an NFL legend because he had a formula to win games, elite accuracy, efficient decision-making, and just enough mobility to keep defenses honest.
Those three traits are the same traits we see when Dak Prescott is playing his best football.
Fans, analysts, and really anyone who watches football knows the quarterback rating is a pretty good barometer of a quarterback is doing well.
When we look at the career quarterback rating of Dak Prescott up against Steve Young, we get a match.
Steve Young had a career quarterback rating of 96.8 in his 15-year career. Dak Prescott is currently sitting at a quarterback rating of 98.6.
When we break it down further:
Steve Young had 33,124 passing yards, an 8.0 yard average, 232 touchdowns, and 107 interceptions.
Dak Prescott has 34,698 passing yards, a 7.6 yard average, 238 touchdowns, and 90 interceptions.
Very similar to this point, but Prescott at this point is in year ten, while Young retired after fifteen years.
Steve Young was an intermediate throw maestro and guess who else thrives in that area? Dak Prescott.
This area of the field for the quarterback is where windows shrink, linebackers wait, and anticipation and timing matters more than arm strength.
Steve Young made a living in this area with some big-time receivers like Jerry Rice. Dak Prescott has had the same luxury, with CeeDee Lamb and now George Pickens.
Accuracy is a big part of this area of the field.
Young had a career completion percentage of 64.3%.
Prescott has a career completion percentage of 67.1%.
Both quarterbacks are top tier at completing difficult throws and doing it often.
A lot of people would call this drinking and dunking,...
