It’s easy to look at Rayne Dakota Prescott today and see the $240 million man, the face of the Dallas Cowboys, and a guy who has spent a decade rewriting the franchise record books. But back in the spring of 2016? He was basically an afterthought. If you’re wondering when was Dak Prescott drafted, the short answer is April 30, 2016. The long answer is a lot messier, involving a DUI arrest that turned out to be nothing, a string of "better" prospects who flunked out of the league, and a Dallas front office that actually tried to draft two other guys before settling on him.
Seriously.
The Cowboys didn't walk into the draft thinking Dak was their savior. They were desperate for a backup for Tony Romo, sure, but Dak was their Plan C. Maybe even Plan D.
The Day the Phone Finally Rang
The 2016 NFL Draft was held in Chicago, but Dak wasn't there. He was hanging out at the Toledo Bend Resort in Louisiana with his family.
He waited. And waited.
It wasn't until the fourth round, with the 135th overall pick, that Jerry Jones finally called. It was a compensatory pick. For those who don't speak "NFL Front Office," that’s basically a participation trophy pick the league gives you when you lose good players in free agency.
Seven quarterbacks were taken before him. Seven.
- Jared Goff (No. 1)
- Carson Wentz (No. 2)
- Paxton Lynch (No. 26)
- Christian Hackenberg (No. 51)
- Jacoby Brissett (No. 91)
- Cody Kessler (No. 93)
- Connor Cook (No. 100)
Looking at that list now is wild. Paxton Lynch is a name most Broncos fans want to scrub from their memory. Christian Hackenberg never even threw a pass in a regular-season game. Yet, at the time, scouts were convinced Dak was too much of a "project." They saw a guy from Mississippi State who ran a spread offense and figured he couldn't handle a pro-style system.
The "Elephant in the Room" That Almost Ruined It
So, why did a guy with 38 school records at Mississippi State fall to the fourth round?
Honestly, it was a mix of things. Scouts labeled him a "running quarterback," which back then was often a polite way of saying "we don't think he's accurate enough." But the real kicker was an arrest for a DUI in Starkville just weeks before the draft.
It killed his momentum.
Teams got spooked. The Cowboys even grilled him about it during his 30-man visit to Valley Ranch. As it turns out, the breathalyzer tests were inconclusive, and he was later found not guilty, but the damage to his draft stock was already done. He went from a potential second-round lock to a Saturday flier.
How the Cowboys Almost Missed Their Chance
Here is the part Jerry Jones doesn't always like to lead with: the Cowboys tried to trade back into the first round to get Paxton Lynch. They failed. Then, they tried to move up in the fourth round to snag Connor Cook. The Raiders beat them to it.
Luck is a funny thing in football.
Because those trades failed, Dallas "settled" for Dak Prescott at pick 135. They figured he’d sit behind Romo, learn the ropes, and maybe—just maybe—become a reliable backup.
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Then the 2016 preseason happened.
Then Tony Romo’s back gave out in Seattle.
Suddenly, the fourth-round kid who grew up a Cowboys fan in a trailer in Louisiana was the starting quarterback for America’s Team. He didn't just play; he exploded. He threw for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions as a rookie. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year. He tied the record for most wins by a rookie QB (13).
Why the 2016 Draft Still Matters in 2026
Fast forward to today. It’s 2026, and Dak is still the guy. He’s surpassed Tony Romo for career passing yards. He’s outlasted almost everyone from his draft class except for Jared Goff.
The 135th pick turned out to be the most important selection the Cowboys made since taking Jason Witten in the third round or maybe even Emmitt Smith in the first. It changed the entire trajectory of the team.
If you’re looking to apply some of this "Dak energy" to your own life or sports knowledge, here are a few takeaways:
- Draft position isn't destiny. Where you start—whether it's the 1st pick or the 135th—doesn't define the ceiling.
- Scout the person, not just the system. Evaluators missed on Dak because they hated the Mississippi State "spread," but they ignored his 99th-percentile hand size and his elite leadership traits.
- Watch the film. If you want to see how he really fell, go back and look at his 2015 tape against Alabama. It wasn't pretty, but it showed a guy who wouldn't quit.
Check out the current NFL quarterback rankings to see where Dak sits compared to the guys drafted a decade ago. You might be surprised who is still standing.