Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright says he always knew Dallas rookie Dak Prescott would be good.
It might have been tempting to think that it was mostly alumni pride at work the day last fall when Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, in an informal discussion with a few reporters, began signing the praises of Dak Prescott.
Like Wright, Prescott played at Mississippi State, though the two did not overlap — Wright graduated in 2011 before being drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round and becoming a stalwart of the team’s defense.
Prescott last fall was MSU’s quarterback, and Wright told a few reporters one day that he ought to win the Heisman and would eventually be an NFL star. Every team that needed a quarterback and passed on him in the draft, Wright said, would ultimately regret that decision.
Reminded of that conversation Tuesday, Wright said “you all are going to listen to me someday. One day, you all are going to start listening to me.’’
Two preseason games hardly makes a career, of course. But as the Seahawks prepare to face Prescott and the Cowboys in a preseason game Thursday at CenturyLink Field, Wright’s words seem more prescient than ever.
Prescott, taken in the fourth round by Dallas last spring, has been one of the breakout stories of the NFL preseason, compiling a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in two games by completing 22 of 27 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
And in those two games, he’s gone a long way to help soothe the fears of Dallas fans about the backup quarterback spot that essentially killed the team’s season a year ago when Tony Romo was injured early and a Cowboys squad that went 12-4 in 2014 went 1-11 without him.
Former Prosser High star Kellen Moore entered camp as Romo’s official backup but suffered a broken ankle early in camp that opened the door for Prescott.
In another Seattle twist to the story, the Cowboys took Prescott only after failing to pull off a couple of trades to try to get a quarterback earlier in the draft, including an attempt to get the Seahawks’ pick at No. 26.
It was reported that the Seahawks asked for Dallas’ second and third round picks, which owner Jerry Jones’ son Stephen argued was too much, killing the trade.
Seattle eventually cut a deal with Denver to move down to No. 31 and get the 94th overall pick in exchange for moving down five spots (which turned into tight end Nick Vannett).
Jerry Jones later lamented the failure to get Seattle’s pick at No. 26, presumably to get Paxton Lynch (who ended up with the Broncos), saying “I probably should have overpaid there.’’
A little later, the Cowboys also failed to pull off a trade with the Raiders to get Michigan State’s Connor Cook.
Chastened, the Cowboys settled for Prescott, who some surmise was still available in the fourth round due in part to a DUI arrest in March (he was eventually found not guilty).
Not that Dallas seemed completely sold it had its backup QB of the future. Current Seahawk Trevone Boykin said the other offer he seriously considered before signing with Seattle was from Dallas, an offer that came after the draft and the Cowboys’ selection of Prescott. Boykin said being able to play in the same system that Russell Wilson has thrived in helped sway him to the Seahawks.
The Cowboys also reportedly later pursued Nick Foles after he was released by the Rams.
The way Wright sees it, though, Dallas shouldn’t have bothered with any of those efforts.
“The dude (Prescott), he looks polished, he looks comfortable, that back shoulder throw is real deadly,’’ said Wright, who said he got to know Prescott during a few visits back to MSU in the off-season and during bye weeks. “You look at all the other rookie quarterbacks, he looks the most ready. So I’m excited to go out there and play against him and I’m happy for his success.’’
And while Wright says he thinks everyone who wanted a QB who passed on Prescott will someday look back and wonder what might have been, he says he thinks Prescott is just fine where he is.
“I don’t want to say nothing crazy, but he should have went higher in the draft,’’ said Wright. “But it’s always a blessing in disguise no matter where you go in the draft. Whatever team wants you, whatever team picks you, go to that team and make the other team regret that they didn’t pick you up. He’s going to be good.’’