Mississippi State Bulldogs News: Dak Prescott earns major respect

From Dak Prescott ranking highly in the NFL Top 100 to his Pro Camp in Starkville to everything in between, here are the latest notes and links surrounding Mississippi State athletics on Tuesday, June 20th!

NOTES:

• Dak Prescott debuts as one of the fifteen best players on the NFL Top 100 after his historically great rookie campaign.
• Dak returns to Starkville to host his Pro Camp on Mississippi State’s campus.
• Sports Illustrated ranks Nick Fitzgerald as a top 100 player in college football.

LINKS:

– NFL players rank Dak Prescott one of league’s top 5 QBs, Tyron Smith game’s top offensive lineman – Jon Machota, Dallas Morning News

NFL Network has been airing a weekly show that reveals the top 100 players in the NFL, as voted on by the players. Dak Prescott found himself at number 14 on the list after his first season in the pros.

As Machota points out, Dak is ranked as one of the five best quarterbacks in the National Football League:

"Not only did Prescott come in among the top 20, he was the fifth overall quarterback on the list, putting him ahead of Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton. To give you an idea of how much the list changes from year to year, Newton was ranked No. 1 overall a year ago. This year: 44.The only quarterbacks ahead of Prescott: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Derek Carr."

– Is Dak Prescott Really The 14th Best Player In The NFL? – RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys

Is Dak really a top fifteen player in all of football? RJ Ochoa of Cowboys blog Blogging The Boys writes on the subject:

"Monday marked the revealing of the players from 11-20 on the list, announcing Dak Prescott and Tyron Smith’s positions to the world. Of course, this sparked a ton of debate as people think either was ranked too high or too low. Shocker here, but if you make a list not everyone is going to agree with it.Understandably, Dak Prescott’s placement on this list is interesting. As Cowboys fans we’ll of course celebrate the notoriety given to him by his peers, but is Dak really the 14th best player in the NFL?"

– Dak Prescott hype getting out of control, as shown by NFL top 100 list – Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports

As expected, many in the media thought the ranking was too high for the rookie star. Schwab believes Dak would’ve had a tougher time in a different situation. Still, Dak was a MVP candiate last season and he deserves some credit for that.

"Prescott had a fine season, and it was a wonderful story for a fourth-round pick, but it’s hard to think he’d have ranked No. 14 playing on the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams last year. The Cowboys were set up perfectly for a rookie quarterback to have success. He played behind perhaps the best offensive line in decades, and maybe ever. Ezekiel Elliott was far more valuable than Prescott (but Prescott won Offensive Rookie of the Year because he’s a quarterback). Dez Bryant was already in place as a No. 1 receiver. The Cowboys’ offense was not built around Prescott. It’s a run-first attack. Prescott did remarkably well in his role. When he had to do more, after the Cowboys fell behind to the Green Bay Packers in a wild-card playoff game, he was great with 302 yards and three touchdowns. Prescott was great as a rookie and has a nice future ahead."

– Dak Prescott returns to MSU for kids’ camp – Paul Jones, Bulldawgs247

Elsewhere in Dak news, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year returned to Starkville and hosted his Pro Camp. 700 kids attended Tuesday morning.

Paul Jones talked with Dak and wrote on the event:

"“It’s just everything that Mississippi State has done for me,” said Prescott. “I know how pivotal these years were in my life and my career. Just everything this university has done for me, this town, the state of Mississippi, when we started picking places for camps it was a no-brainer to come back home.“And it’s been a great turnout. As I said, it’s good to see familiar faces, see coaches and have some of my family and friends here, as well. It’s been amazing.”The camp featured over 700 kids in the 1st-8th grades and they were able to get lessons from Prescott along with the coaches and camp instructors on hand.“It’s huge,” said Prescott. “I got so much love and thanks for this community and this state. For them to show it back and to come out and see the energy of their parents in this weather and seeing smiles on their faces, it’s been great support.”"

Next: A look at 4-star QB signee Keytaon Thompson

– Mississippi State Football: Nick Fitzgerald ranked in SI’s Top 100 – Maroon and White Nation

Sports Illustrated has began ranking the top 100 players in college football. SI ranked Fitz 97th. Too low?

"Personally, I believe Fitz is underrated in these rankings. It can be debated if he is the SEC’s best quarterback, but he did lead the conference in total offense last season. Fitzgerald also recorded the third most rushing yards by a quarterback in SEC history. Only some guys named Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel rushed for more in a single season.The low ranking may have something to do with State’s 6-7 record last season. If Fitz, in his second season as the guy, can lead the Bulldogs to more victories in 2017, expect his name to rise more and more over the course of the fall."

Maroon and White Nation is your source for everything Bulldogs!