The Dallas Cowboys may be the ideal spot for an offensive passer at quarterback.
The Cowboys are expected to select Tulane University’s Michael Pratt with the 87th overall pick in the third round, as predicted by Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports in a seventh-round mock draft..
What Michael Pratt Could Bring to the Cowboys
Pratt is 22 years old and has had a very productive career as a two-way quarterback, spending all four years with the Green Wave. The 6-foot-3 quarterback threw 27 touchdown passes in addition to 10 rushing touchdowns in the 2022 season alone. Pratt collected 90 passing touchdowns and 28 rushing touchdowns during his collegiate career. Although Pratt isn’t a very fast quarterback (he chose not to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine), he is capable of running the run, as evidenced by his ability to rush the football to get into the end zone. You can finish it.
As Bleacher Report’s Derrick Klassen notes in his scouting report on Pratt, he is an “offensive passer” with the ability to finish the run as a red zone threat or short-yardage runner. “This thinking extends to Pratt’s risk tolerance,” Klassen wrote. “He’s an aggressive passer. Pratt is always looking for an angle to throw down the field if the defense’s pre-snap look allows. Pratt is also a reasonably functional athlete. He’s not quick or fast, but , Pratt’s game has a level of power and balance that allows him to function well as a skilled runner in short yardage and red zone situations.”
Michael Pratt Compared to Current Cowboys QB Cooper Rush
While Trapasso projects Pratt to be selected in the third round, Klassen predicts the Tulane alum to be picked in the fifth round as a high-level developmental prospect. He also compares Pratt to longtime Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Rush landed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017 out of Central Michigan — a non-power five school, similar to Tulane — and has been with the team ever since as a backup. Rush has started six games in his career, going 5-1 in the process.
As Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report writes in his own scouting report of Pratt, he compensates for his lack of elite arm strength with catchable passes. He also mentioned Pratt as a possible replacement for Dak Prescott as the franchise quarterback enters the final year of his contract in Dallas.
“The 22-year-old makes up for his lack of arm strength by placing the ball with great touch,” Morton wrote. “Most of the time he throws a catchable ball, giving the pass catcher an opportunity to make a play after the reception.” The Cowboys continue to insist on re-signing Prescott, but the fact that Prescott has not yet signed an extension leaves open the possibility that this will be his last season in Dallas. Considering the Cowboys haven’t advanced past the divisional round in Prescott’s eight years as a starter, it might be time to move in a different direction.
In fact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently called the Cowboys a “sleeper team” who should draft a quarterback. If the Cowboys don’t want to stir up a quarterback controversy while adding an insurance plan for Prescott, they could choose a passer like Pratt instead of drafting Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix with a first-round pick. could be selected with a mid-round pick. round.
