There’s no question that Dak Prescott is the Dallas Cowboys quarterback for the current and immediate future. However, he’s entering his 8th season in the National Football League (NFL).
Currently 29 years old, the Cowboys should draft Dak’s successor.
The 2023 NFL Draft is loaded with many NFL-ready quarterbacks. Compared to last year’s draft, 2023 is stacked with multiple quarterbacks expected to be taken in the first round.
Bryce Young out of the University of Alabama and C.J. Stroud out of the University of Ohio State are expected to be top-5 picks.
For comparison, Kenny Pickett the 20th pick in the 2022 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers was the first quarterback to be selected.
After Pickett, the next quarterback selection didn’t come until the 3rd round, with the Atlanta Falcons selecting Desmond Ridder from the University of Cincinnati with the 74th pick in the draft.
The Cowboys will not draft a quarterback in the 1st round, however, there’s no need to draft one that early. They can easily snag a great prospect in the later rounds coming by the 3rd or 5th round.
Texas Christian University (TCU) standout Quarterback Max Duggan led the team to a National Championship game. He also finished 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting getting beat by USC Quarterback Caleb Williams.
Duggan, although not quite ready to be an NFL starter, shows promise, however.
He’s currently projected to be selected in the third round or later. Although he definitely needs to work on his mechanics, he could be a name we see the Cowboys call up in the later rounds of the draft.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones has also had high words of praise for him.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) is another name to look out for in the later rounds.
The star quarterback from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) showed potential during his 5-year bid as a starter for UCLA. Many scouts and experts have DTR’s name being called in the 6th round or later.
Known for his arm strength there’s no doubt that DTR has the arm capable of being successful in the NFL.
However, he could work on his pocket presence.
Thompson-Robinson is known for becoming erratic when the opposing defense shows pressure. Rather than staying calm in the pocket and delivering an accurate pass, he tends to escape the pocket and throw a flustered pass.
Hendon Hooker by way of the University of Tennessee is the quarterback the Cowboys should select.
Projected to be a 3rd round pick by scouts Hooker has the qualities to be a great NFL quarterback one day.
Hooker is a dual-threat quarterback.
He has the size and strength to be a physical runner as well as the arm strength to make NFL-level throws. He has speed, strength, and accuracy, which make him a dangerous weapon for any offense.
Hooker has advantages over Duggan and Thompson-Robinson as he faced stiffer competition in college.
Being in the SEC, Hooker played against some of the best teams in college football, such as Alabama and Georgia. Not only did he perform well in these games, he showed poise and leadership in high-pressure situations. A feat that is invaluable in the NFL.
Hendon Hooker stands out from Duggan and Thompson-Robinson due to his ability to protect the football.
Throughout his collegiate career, he threw for 944 pass attempts. In those 944 attempts, he only threw 12 interceptions. Duggan, on the other hand, had 1,225 pass attempts and threw 28 interceptions. DTR attempted 1,359 pass attempts and threw 36 interceptions.
There’s no doubt about Hooker’s talent — he showed flashes of greatness in college.
He has a high ceiling for development and with the right coaching and opportunity he could fast-track to becoming a star in the league and being the next franchise quarterback for the Cowboys.
There are many good options to go with for drafting the next franchise quarterback for Dallas.
Max Duggan and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are both talented quarterbacks. However, Hendon Hooker has the most upside and potential to be a game-changer for the Cowboys.
