The ringer: The NFL is getting worse at evaluating QB- heavy Dak article

[chicago JK]

he NFL Is Getting Worse at Evaluating Quarterbacks
Despite the success of Dak Prescott and Derek Carr, evaluators across the NFL are still looking down on collegiate signal-callers that come from spread offenses. Something has to change—or the game’s going to get really ugly.
BY KEVIN CLARK AUG 31, 2017, 9:30AM EDT TWEET

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If Dak Prescott continues his march toward superstardom, a footnote in his history will be the conversation that took place between Cowboys executives in April 2016. At the draft, the Dallas decision-makers put Michigan State’s Connor Cook ahead of Prescott on their boards.

“The only reason we had Connor ahead of Dak is he played in a pro-style offense,” COO Stephen Jones said during training camp. A quarterback from a pro-style offense, the team believed, could have been an NFL backup immediately—unlike someone coming out of a spread system.

Cook, in a lucky break for the Cowboys, came off the board at pick 100 to Oakland. He was last seen throwing for 161 yards on 45 attempts as a last-resort starter against Houston in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Prescott led the Cowboys to a 13-3 season and an NFC East title.


https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/...lem-evaluation-spread-dak-prescott-derek-carr

 

[TrailBlazer]

Experience in a pro style offense is a plus but it's not the be all, end all.

 

[LOBO7]

Dak is pretty smart and a hard worker thats part of the reason
his transition to a pro offense was so successful.
Case by case valuating spread offense Qbs coming out.
Having a great Oline doesn't hurt either.

 

[NorthDalal]

Great article.Makes sense,and it is a condemnation of Kellen Moore's skill sets as an NFL QB, particlarly at the end when discussing Cam Newton.(Throwing receivers open,seeing over the defense!)

 

[jrumann59]

Experience in a pro style offense is a plus but it's not the be all, end all.

Yes but comparing say an RG3 to Kirk cousins and saying RG3 can be made into an NFL QB even though he ran a paint by numbers spread offense in college is bad scouting. While athletic Abilityand measurable a are nice what kind of head a kid has on his shoulders is almost as important

 

[InDakWeTrust]

Yes but comparing say an RG3 to Kirk cousins and saying RG3 can be made into an NFL QB even though he ran a paint by numbers spread offense in college is bad scouting. While athletic Abilityand measurable a are nice what kind of head a kid has on his shoulders is almost as important

I know I'm going to be over simplifying this, but finding a college QB with all of the following:
decent enough athleticism, football awareness and intelligence and proven tape of him reading a defense, making it through 3 reads and looking off a single high safety.
That's how I distinguish who's on my board versus those who aren't.

 

[thisiscowboyscountry]

It's just tough to project these players in the spread offense because the playbook is limited and QBs are asked to make a minimal number of throw types. As a result coaches focus on what the player is good at and not develop the areas they could become good at because their system is productive enough.

The Cowboys didn't have any idea what they were really getting with Prescott outside of a proven winner with great leadership skills, but with a lot of raw talent. This article is right that scouts can't discredit QBs in a spread offense and need to better evaluate their potential to further develop new skill sets.

 

[Eddie]

Bottom line is that we lucked big time into Dak.

If not for his DUI, he'd have gone much higher.

We took him at the end of the 4th round with one of our comp picks. Talk about playing with fire.

Heck, Jerrah was about to throw a boatload of picks to move up back into the first round to take a guy who can't beat out Travis Simien. That's pathetic.

So I'm not sold on the "Linehan saw Dak's ability" nonsense. If Linehan was able to identify Dak's abilty, we'd have taken him ahead of Zeke.