Scouting chief McClay hit it big with rookie class

Five thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys, who are 2-1 after beating the Chicago Bears:

Bravo to McClay

There has been a lot of talk, and with good reason, about the outstanding play of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. As the fourth overall pick, the Cowboys expect Elliott to be special. He is third in the NFL in rushing with 274 yards. Prescott, picked in the fourth round out of Mississippi State, has been the biggest surprise. A development project for the future who was forced to play because of Tony Romo’s fractured back, Prescott has emerged as one of the best rookies in the entire class. But the impact of scouting chief Will McClay’s rookie draft class goes deeper when you consider defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who is now a starter alongside Terrell McClain with Tyrone Crawford moving to end, and the play of cornerback Anthony Brown. Collins, a third-round pick from Nebraska, was strong in the run game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday while also showing some push in the pass rush. Brown started for an injured Orlando Scandrick against the Bears and stood out for not standing out in a negative way. He looked like he belonged and gave up nothing. The Bears did not exploit the rookie sixth-round pick from Purdue. Add in safety Kavon Frazier, a sixth-round pick from Central Michigan, and running back Darius Jackson, a sixth-round pick from Eastern Michigan, who both made the roster out of training camp, and this class is making an impact. And that’s not even considering fourth-round defensive end Charles Tapper, who has been out with an injury but is someone who is expected to provide juice for the pass rush. Fast forward to next year. If the Cowboys are able to get second-round pick Jaylon Smith on the field at middle linebacker, this rookie class could be the team’s foundation for years to come. Bravo to Will McClay.

Clean Prescott

Dak Prescott’s lack of interceptions through three games as well as his minimal touchdown passes (one) has some wondering if the Cowboys are dumbing down the offense for the rookie. Are they taking fewer risks with Prescott to keep him from making mistakes? That’s far from the truth. His lack of touchdown passes is more about the Cowboys not capitalizing on opportunities rather than him being Captain Checkdown to underneath throws and not taking shots downfield. Regarding the interceptions, Prescott didn’t throw a lot of picks in college. He had 70 touchdowns and was intercepted 23 times in fours years at Mississippi State, including 56 and 16 in his final two years. Those 29 and 5 numbers were in his senior season. So he is doing what he has always done, taking care of the football. It’s still impressive that he has been mistake-free in the NFL, coach Jason Garrett said. “We haven’t just put the handcuffs on him if you will,” Garrett said. “We just let him play.”

Zeke rising

Running back Ezekiel Elliott paid homage to his track roots with an impressive hurdle of a Bears player during Sunday’s 31-17 win. In sticking with that theme, let’s say Elliott was just out of the starting blocks and is off and running following that 140-yard performance against the Bears. It was his best game of the season and the Cowboys expect him to get better after a relatively slow start in the first two games. He acknowledges that the time he missed in camp and the preseason with hamstring issues set him back. But now that he’s getting more comfortable with the blocking schemes and the line, he should get better in being patient for the hole and hitting his landmarks. “It’s hard to recreate true run-game looks in practice,” Garrett said. “So hopefully over the course of the early part of the season and as the season goes on, you get better. You get better doing it because you’ve done it a lot in a game-type situation. I think that’s what’s happening with Zeke. He’s run these runs a little bit, run them against different fronts, he’s felt the different looks and he’s getting more and more comfortable. I think we’ve seen a real growth and development in Zeke just over the course of three games.”

Dez and Royce

It was important that receiver Dez Bryant and state Sen. Royce West settled their differences amicably. The sides had been embroiled in litigation claims regarding a rental house that Bryant has leased from West. If it had gone to court, there is no telling what would have been revealed about Bryant’s time there. It also would have been an unnecessary distraction during the season. Owner Jerry Jones predicted an out-of-court settlement when I talked to him during training camp about the matter. And that’s exactly what happened. One suit down, now one to go for Bryant and Roc Nation. There is still a legal matter pending with his former marketing guy Ryan Totka and the “Throw up the X” logo and brand he created and established for the receiver. Stay tuned.

Drew Bledsoe quote

The Cowboys are saying all the right things about quarterbacks Tony Romo and Dak Prescott. This is Romo’s team and when he’s healthy he will get the job back. Of course, if the Cowboys are 5-1 after six games, then there will be reason for pause. Former Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe knows that situation all too well. He was replaced in New England by Tom Brady and in Dallas by Romo. He offered this quote in an excellent article by Mike Silver on www.nfl.com about watching someone else succeed in your job. “It brings up very conflicting emotions,” Bledsoe recalled. “In our heart of hearts, we all want to feel indispensable. We all want to believe, ‘There’s no way the team can succeed without me.’ Then you see the team going on, and winning with a young guy playing the position, and playing it well, and you do some soul searching ... and you start to think, ‘Maybe the team’s gonna make that decision to move on.’ You always want the team to do well, but it’s hard. It can be [awkward]. Tommy and I are still good friends, and I text with Romo once in a while ... but it’s hard to love ’em if they’ve got your job and you want it back.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Scouting chief McClay hit it big with rookie class."