Dak Prescott hit the runway Friday night at a special fundraiser in Dallas, but then he was set to hit the books, to tackle some homework for the Cowboys scouting department.
The quarterback served as honorary co-chair of the Children’s Cancer Fund “Light It Up” Gala along with franchise icon Troy Aikman; part of his duties including helping escort pediatric cancer patients down a supermodel catwalk for their paparazzi moment.
But then, he told reporters, he had some game film to watch as the Cowboys consider drafting a collegiate wide receiver later this week in the NFL draft.
“I’m going to do a little bit, like last year,” Prescott said, per the team website. “A couple of receivers, I have their tape; watch them, maybe give them a call. And maybe we take them, maybe we don’t. But it does feel good even to have an input and to know it is listened to.”
Prescott made pre-draft calls to a few prospects last year, too, including South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert. Dallas ended up selecting him in the third round.
It wasn’t a long conversation, and Prescott didn’t tell the wideout that the Cowboys were taking him. But it did help convince both Prescott and the Dallas front office that they had identified someone who would fit well with what the offense is trying to do.
“We talked on the phone for about twenty minutes,” Tolbert said after being taken off the board last May, “and just talked about ball and relationship with quarterbacks and what I could bring to the table.”
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And while Tolbert made very minor contributions on the field as a small-school rookie learning the NFL ropes, Prescott’s involvement- which was his idea- proved valuable enough to continue the practice in 2023.
“He reached out,” Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay explained last year, “and we said, ‘Hey, here’s some guys for you to do your thing with.’ Because we’re 50-plus years old here, and we have an impression and a feeling about him, and the guys that are in the locker room also pick up tendencies and things. It was important for a great person like him to reach out to these guys and give us some feedback.”
The chemistry and rapport he has with his pass-catchers is something Prescott takes seriously. He routinely invites receivers, backs, and tight ends to his backyard practice field for extra reps to work on timing. And he had CeeDee Lamb’s locker moved next to his own last summer for more immediate and regular communication.
And sometimes, he just picks up the phone before putting in a good word with his Cowboys coaches.
So a word of advice to this year’s crop of wide receivers, from early-round candidates like Zay Flowers, Jalin Hyatt, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to local standouts like Quentin Johnson and Rashee Rice to likely Day 3 prospects such as Charlie Jones, Rakim Jarrett, and Mitchell Tinsley…
Keep your phone within reach this week. It may be your new quarterback calling.
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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire