Posted on June 21, 2017, by Travis Pulver
The Dallas Cowboys got lucky last season with Dak Prescott. Teams hope that every draft pick develops into a good player. But to have a fourth round selection become your starting quarterback and play so well he wins Offensive Rookie of the Year honors…it’s safe to say the Cowboys hit a home run with that fourth-round pick.
To be fair, he did have the benefit of a fantastic running game powered by fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliot. Neither Prescott or Elliot will find it as easy to succeed this season, but if Prescott can be even more impressive this season, there is a chance he makes history.
Via @all22
How so? Well—odds-makers have placed his chances of winning the league MVP award this coming season at 11 to 1. Should he do it, he will become one of only two players in NFL history to go from winning Rookie of the Year honors to MVP in his second season.
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The only player to get it done so far—Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino.
It will not be easy, of course, and he will have some stiff competition. Tom Brady is the favorite to win at 4 to 1 followed by Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson at 10 to 1. Ben Roethlisberger also has 11 to 1 odds.
After one season, oddsmakers are willing to put him in the same conversation as a guy that has won five Super Bowls and two MVPs (Brady), another with one Super Bowl and two MVPS under his belt (Rodgers), a two-time Super Bowl winner (Roethlisberger), and another Super Bowl winner (Wilson).
That’s some lofty company for any player let alone a player entering his second season. But it gets better. He’s got better odds than last year’s winner, Matt Ryan (12 to 1), and the previous year’s, Cam Newton (25 to 1).
After one good—not great—season, the oddsmakers are already counting Dak Prescott as one of the elite players in the NFL. Is that fair? Eh—yes and no. Yes, because he did play well and he has going to be surrounded by talent next season.
No, because it was only one season. The true test of Prescott’s longevity will be this coming season. Teams will have had a year to analyze his tape, dissect his game, and figure out how to stop him. If the running game suffers can he pull out the win? Can he throw the deep ball when he needs to? Can he overcome a massive deficit?
We don’t really know what Dak Prescott has to offer as an NFL player yet. There have been guys on good teams that played well during their first season only to flop afterward (i.e. Nick Foles). As far as NFL fans know, Prescott could be one of those guys. He could also go on to have a great career.
The bottom line is—we just don’t know.
Via @VoiceOfTheStar
As for the rest of the competition, the odds makers did recognize Ezekiel Elliot’s contribution last season and gave him 12 to 1 odds. Marshawn Lynch has 50 to 1 odds even though he took last season off. Von Miller has the best odds for a defensive player (80 to 1). If you want to throw away your money (or win big) you can put some down on Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (400 to 1).
Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson has the best odds for a rookie (50 to 1).