Dallas Cowboys

2017 NFL Draft: Executives Pinpoint The Next Dak Prescott

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:17 p.m. ET

Fansided, Erik Lambert/FanSided via NFL Mocks

Jan 15, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) runs onto the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional playoff game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady showed that teams can’t afford to get lazy in their quarterback evaluations. Something that will have a direct impact on the 2017 NFL draft.

On the other hand it was Dak Prescott who proved that sometimes quarterbacks don’t come in the same packages. What they looked like in a college setting might not be the same once they get under professional coaches. As a result he got an opportunity in 2016 to start as a rookie and is now headed to the Pro Bowl. Leaving plenty of teams wondering how in the world they could’ve missed what he was capable of.

The byproduct on top of that is the inevitable question. Who could be the Prescott of the 2017 class? An overlooked quarterback that will likely fall to the middle rounds and then re-emerge to become an effective starter. NFL.com draft analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah decided to ask around the league for opinions. He got some interesting answers as such as Chad Kelly from Ole Miss or Davis Webb of Cal.

The man who got the most love though? None other than Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard. Here is what two executives had to say about him.

“This isn’t an easy question. The QB class isn’t very good at all. I would say C.J. Beathard from Iowa. He doesn’t do anything special, but he won’t lose you the game. He’s got a chance.”

“I don’t think Beathard played very well this year, but he showed some stuff last year. He’ll probably be a late-round pick, but he has some redeeming qualities.”

Indeed Beathard is one of the more interesting prospects in the class. His numbers are underwhelming, having failed to throw more than 17 touchdowns in each of the past two years. Then again the Hawkeyes were run like a traditional team. They wanted to run the ball and play good defense. His job wasn’t to put up numbers. It was to manage the game and limit the mistakes. At 6’2″ he has decent size, can move pretty well with his legs and exhibits a decent arm.

It’s proof that perhaps in a different offensive scheme geared more around the quarterback, he might be able to do so much more on the field. It’s a matter of whether the right team drafts him. He needs to learn to better protect himself from taking too many hit. He absorbed a number of beatings that resulted in some injury concerns. It’s all about trusting whether he can handle a transition like Prescott did, absorbing pro coaching and pro schemes.