The Cowboys struck gold by drafting Dak Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, so let’s see what happened to the quarterbacks who were taken before him in his draft class.

Initially touted as a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Dak Prescott hurt his draft stock when he had a DUI charge just six weeks before the draft. In the end, seven quarterbacks heard their name called before he made his way to the Dallas Cowboys.

As a fourth-round pick, Prescott has surpassed expectations despite all the pressure that comes with playing for America’s team. Eight years later, how good (or bad) did the careers pan out for every quarterback picked ahead of him? Let’s take a look.

1. Jared Goff
Jared Goff’s college career might’ve not ended the way he wanted it to end, but he knew he had to declare for the draft as soon as he could. While Dak Prescott has gone on to become the best quarterback in this draft class, Goff was the consensus number-one pick, and the Los Angeles Rams traded up from the ninth overall pick to the first overall pick in order to select him.

Over his career, he’s been a consistent 3,000-yard passer, and he even made the Super Bowl in 2018. Today, Goff is the starting quarterback of the Detroit Lions, and he has led the team to back-to-back winning seasons, which is a feat the Lions hadn’t achieved since the 2016 and 2017 campaigns.

2. Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz is one of those players that peaked way too early. As the number two pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, Wentz started his career on fire throwing for more than 3,700 yards as a rookie. While he was injured during their Super Bowl run in 2017 thanks to a torn ACL, Wentz was a huge piece of Philly’s success.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t been the same quarterback since he suffered that serious injury. Wentz has played for three different teams over the past three years, with his most recent stint coming as a backup for Matthew Stafford on the Rams.

3. Paxton Lynch
As the 26th overall pick, expectations were high for Paxton Lynch to become the next quarterback to lead the Denver Broncos after Peyton Manning retired. However, he only played in five games over his three-year career, all of which were losses.

Even though Lynch knew his talents weren’t made for the NFL, he has tried to play in as many leagues as possible. Since 2021, Lynch has played in several different football leagues, including the CFL, USFL, and XFL.

4. Christian Hackenberg
If this name doesn’t sound familiar, don’t worry, you’re not alone. After three seasons at Penn State, Christian Hackenberg was eventually selected by the New York Jets with the 51st overall pick of the draft. He struggled trying to compete with their other quarterbacks, and he ended up never playing a snap over his two year NFL career.

Hackenberg did give the Alliance of American Football (AAF) league a try, but the league ceased operations in 2019. Given the Jets continued struggles at the quarterback position, it’s safe to say they would have much rather drafted Dak Prescott with this pick.

5. Jacoby Brissett
Taken by the New England Patriots with the 91st overall pick, Jacoby Brissett had the privilege to learn from the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. He was given a chance to lead his own team a year later when he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts after Andrew Luck went down with an injury.

Throughout his eight-year career, Brissett has been mostly a backup quarterback, but at least he does have a Super Bowl title to his name.

6. Cody Kessler
Two picks after Brissett in the 3rd round, Cody Kessler ended up getting selected by the Cleveland Browns. Kessler began his career as an immediate starter for the Browns, but he quickly lost that position when the team got off to an 0-8 start.

He’d get a chance to play for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, but the last time he played for a team was in 2020.

7. Connor Cook
As the 100th pick of the draft, Connor Cook was the final quarterback taken before Dak Prescott when he landed with the Oakland Raiders. As the third quarterback on the team’s depth chart, Cook wasn’t given any chance to cook in the NFL. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Lions in four months before taking his talents to the XFL, where he played one season with the Houston Roughnecks.