National Football League

Is Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott the sixth-best quarterback in the NFL?

Updated Jun. 27, 2021 6:15 p.m. ET

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We've reached the rankings and lists stretch of the NFL offseason.

Dak Prescott, a player who always seems to divide opinion, is at it once again after the Dallas Cowboys quarterback was ranked the 50th-best player in the NFL heading into the new season. 

Pro Football Focus is responsible for the rankings, which didn't account for positional value and offer "a projection of what we think will happen," per the outlet.

Massive highs and lows defined Prescott's 2020 season.

Through the first four weeks of the season, Prescott was averaging 422.5 yards per game, completing 68.2% of his passes for a passer rating of 102.6.

He had nine touchdowns and three interceptions through four weeks and was named Week 2's NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

It would've been fair to say he was poised to have the best season of his career, despite Dallas' 1-3 start in those four games.

However, disaster struck in Week 5 against the New York Giants.

In the third quarter of that contest, Prescott suffered a catastrophic leg injury after a run up the middle for 9 yards. 

On the tackle on the play, he suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, ending his game and season.

Ongoing talks regarding a long-term contract further complicated matters. Prescott was playing 2020 under the franchise tag, and both sides wanted to avoid that scenario in 2021.

Eventually, Prescott and the Cowboys struck a big-money deal, dodging another one-year deal for the franchise quarterback.

In PFF's writeup on Prescott, the publication stated, "If he returns healthy in 2021, he should be one of the best players in the game once more."

Aside from Prescott, only five quarterbacks made the top 50: Josh Allen (No. 40), Russell Wilson (No. 22), Aaron Rodgers (No. 10), Tom Brady (No. 7) and Patrick Mahomes (No. 2).

That makes Prescott the sixth-best QB in the league heading into 2021, by PFF's measure, to which Colin Cowherd raised an objection.

"I've got him about 12 ⁠[overall in quarterback rankings]," Cowherd said.

"Maybe I'm too low, but it's interesting. Dak is like art. His stock went up when he didn't play. … Last year, he played four games … and then I went to the previous year's final 12 games. So let's give him a season. Let's give him 16 games. … He's 6-10 … He completes 64% of his throws ⁠— good, not spectacular. Thirty TDs, 11 picks ⁠— above average, not spectacular. Passer rating … let's round it up, 98. What does that mean? That's about 12th or 13th on average in the NFL."

Colin Cowherd reacts to Dak Prescott being one of only three QBs on PFF's Top 50 list ' THE HERD

Colin Cowherd compares Dak Prescott to art and says that not playing last season upped his stock, making him a more appealing player.

That meshes with what Emmanuel Acho had to say Friday on "Speak For Yourself."

Acho explained that while Prescott is undoubtedly valuable, he's closer to being the 75th-best player in the league, not the 50th.

That's largely because there are other quarterbacks whom Acho would rate above Prescott.

"Lamar Jackson is ahead of Dak Prescott," Acho said. "… Deshaun Watson should be ahead of Dak Prescott. Ryan Tannehill has not yet caught up to you all in mind, but you all, please just look [it] up. By play, he's top-five in every major statistical category as a passer. Ryan Tannehill is ahead of Dak Prescott."

Emmanuel Acho reacts to PFF's ranking of Dak Prescott as the 50th-best player in the NFL I SPEAK FOR YOURSELF

Emmanuel Acho reacts to Dak Prescott's ranking and explains why he should be ranked "slightly lower" than No. 50.

However, former player and league scout Bucky Brooks told Marcellus Wiley and Acho that Prescott should be ranked higher than No. 50.

"He's not the 50th-best. He's in the top 25," Brooks said. "He deserves to be in the top 25 of this list. You guys rattled off these quarterbacks ⁠— like, I'm looking at the list of quarterbacks. Dak Prescott comes in at sixth. So I understand the guys at the top. Pat Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, I'm with that. But that's where we have a breaking point. … Dak Prescott is in that conversation when it comes to Russell Wilson."

Among other key figures, Brooks pointed to Prescott's overall record in his first four years as a starter, 42-27, as a key metric for why he belongs among the game's best.

The good news for Dak and his supporters is that his injury rehab seems to be going well.

If Prescott can pick up where he left off in 2020, perhaps his position on the list won't be so contentious at this time next year.

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National Football League

Dak Prescott

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Speak for Yourself