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The Dallas Cowboys could be looking towards Tony Romo's heir in the NFL draft. Connor Halliday is one prospect that could be on their radar late but is he a viable option?
The Dallas Cowboys have Brandon Weeden as Tony Romo's backup quarterback, but they are always on the lookout for additional talent at the position. Could Connor Halliday be a guy who could come in and compete?According to Dan Kadar of Mocking The Draft, he has already met with the Cowboys.
Miami, TB, SD, Philly, Dallas are the teams Halliday recalls meeting with.
— Dan Kadar (@MockingTheDraft) February 19, 2015
Halliday played quarterback at Washington State before his season was cut short by a broken ankle. He put up some impressive stats at the Pac-12 school.
[Halliday] threw for 300 yards or more in a game 21 times, and more than half those games (12) he went for 400-plus. Over the past two seasons, when Halliday was the Cougars' clear starting quarterback, he put up an FBS-best five 500-yard games; nobody else has had more than two.
His FBS single-game record 734 yards against Cal should have been celebrated, but thanks to a questionable non-call at the goal line in the final minute and a missed field goal, it only served as a source of frustration for the fifth-year senior.
Quarterbacks that come from a high-octane spread offense like the air raid don't usually translate very well in the NFL. Halliday took snaps predominately from the shotgun even before Mike Leach arrived. He will need to work heavily on taking snaps under center and throwing from three-, five- and seven-step drops once his ankle heals. The timing between these different drop backs will be crucial for him.
Halliday's frame is a little on the leaner side which makes me question his durability. Withstanding the punishment of defensive linemen in the NFL is another question. He does play with moxie, challenging opposing defensive backs. Halliday even had the advantage against Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, beating him for three touchdowns. He trusts his arm and it has proven well with his calculated risks in the passing game.
Does Halliday give the Cowboys an upgrade over last year's addition Dustin Vaughan? Vaughan has the edge in size and stature. Not to mention that he has a cannon for an arm. With some continued work this offseason, Vaughan could make a solid push for the number two quarterback position as he continues to learn from Romo.
Jason Garrett on Dustin Vaughan: "You can see him get better with every rep. He's going about it the right way. We think he's got a future."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 19, 2015
Vaughan, much like Halliday, came from an offense that didn't take snaps under center. Vaughan does well in the short to intermediate passing game but he needs to work on his velocity on deeper routes. Many in the Cowboys organization love Vaughan and with good reason. He has all the intangibles that you want in a quarterback.
Having Vaughan shouldn't be a deterrent to drafting/signing another quarterback. When it comes to camp arms, you can never have too many.
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