Dak Prescott Vs. Paxton Lynch: Can Cowboys Get Another NFL Draft 'Unanswered Prayer'?

Looking back on the 2016 NFL Draft and how the Dallas Cowboys nearly selected Paxton Lynch over Dak Prescott.

Nearing this year's NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys are already contenders in the NFC, with their Super Bowl aspirations resting on the shoulders of franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. However, the team could’ve found itself in a very different situation had team owner Jerry Jones gotten his wish and drafted Paxton Lynch in 2016.

Coming out of Memphis after his junior season, Lynch was the MVP of his team and an All-AAC first-team selection who was being compared to Heisman winner Marcus Mariota due to his athleticism.

In the 2016 draft, Jones planned to select Lynch as Tony Romo’s quarterback heir but failed to acquire the No. 26 pick after refusing to package second- and third-round picks and meet the Seattle Seahawks’ asking price. Instead, Dallas offered a second- and fourth-round pick package that the Denver Broncos topped with their bid en route to drafting Lynch for themselves.

In the immediate aftermath, Jones said, “I live with second-guessing and disappointments. That’s a part of this business. But if I had to do it all over again? I’d give the three.”

Prescott would become the Cowboys’ consolation prize, earning Rookie of the Year honors and becoming a multi-time Pro Bowler. Meanwhile, Lynch’s play on the field has gotten attention for the wrong reasons.

After only starting four games for the Broncos, Lynch would go on to be passed around multiple football leagues. This year Lynch made history by becoming the first quarterback to be benched in the NFL, CFL, USFL, and XFL. Needless to say, what Jones once considered a mistake he can now cite as good fortune. ... and also, in fairness to all involved, good coaching and good work by Prescott to outperform his draft slot.

While some readers of CowboysSI.com in Cowboys Nation may be tempted to question the state of the franchise following Prescott’s 2022 campaign that featured a career-high in interceptions thrown, the Paxton Lynch story reminds that it's important to remember that things could always be worse ... for as Garth Brooks says, “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”

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You can follow Isaiah DeAnda Delgado on Twitter and Instagram @IsaiahDDelgado.

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