Remodeling Dak Prescott: Running the Ball
As the most accomplished quarterback in school history prepares to take the field for the 2015 season, Dak Prescott has two goals. The first is to lead Mississippi State to a win in every game he plays. The second is to improve his stock for the NFL Draft. This series will take a look at five areas I believe Prescott needs to change to make both of those dreams a reality.
One of the areas where Dak had great success in 2014 was his ability to run the football. He is an outstanding runner, and it is a weapon Dan Mullen used to his full advantage.
But if Dak Prescott is going to make it to the NFL, running the football has to become less a part of his overall approach to the game. Quarterbacks that run frequently simply don’t last very long in the league. So will Dan Mullen abandon the running game of Dak Prescott, a valuable piece in the game of chess that is football, to help Dak Prescott get to the next level?
Not exactly.
Last week, 3rdand57.com did a nice piece about the changes in Dak Prescott’s body from the end of the 2014 season up to today. Prescott has been a power runner since he arrived in Starkville, but by most accounts, he has slimmed up. A slimmed up body for a quarterback can do a number of things.
The first is it can make for a more fluid throwing motion. A body that isn’t quite as bulky will have less stress on the arm and make it easier for Prescott to hit his targets.
A slimmed up body frame also means he won’t be able to sustain the hits he once did. So the power runs up the middle may not be completely done, but it might indicate they will be much less frequently called upon.
Another area this slimmed up frame from Prescott could indicate is the Bulldogs know what they have at running back. One of the issues many on the outside looking in at Starkville have questioned has been replacing Josh Robinson. Anyone familiar with the program knows there are four highly talented running backs who are chomping at the bit to get those carries. And if they can rely less on Prescott to run the ball, the more dynamic the offense can become.
Dak Prescott is not going to stop running the football. That just isn’t going to happen. But Prescott finished just shy of 1,000 yards last season, but I don’t foresee the same thing happening in 2015. They are going to use his running game as a weapon, it just won’t be called upon as much. And if the running backs who are ready to take over live up to their billing, they won’t need that weapon nearly as much.
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