Cowboys' Zack Martin, Dak Prescott Named In NFL Top 50 Players

FRISCO - This is the fun time in the NFL offseason. The time after OTAs and minicamps and before training camps have officially started. The time when lists dominate the NFL landscape so that thankfully, we have something to talk about.

The Dallas Cowboys typically find themselves on those lists and this one is no different.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the Top-50 players in the NFL heading into 2021.

Their ranking is simply a projection of what they think will happen and not necessarily any reaction to an either spectacular or underwhelming 2020. And position value is not considered, so any player has an opportunity to rank just as high as any quarterback.

Zack Martin has established himself as somewhat of an "ironman" for the Dallas Cowboys since coming into the league in 2014. He has played 94 out of 96 possible games before 2020, and quietly established himself as a top guard in the NFL.

Like many of the Cowboys players, 2020 wasn't necessarily nice to Martin, as he missed significant time for the first time in his career with injuries. That not being considered, PFF sees enough in Martin to rank him No. 13 on their list.

PFF considered his ability to play all along the offensive line when giving his ranking:

"The Dallas offensive line fell apart last season, but Martin was still playing his best football right up until getting injured, even when he kicked out to right tackle. Martin earned a PFF overall grade of 91.3 at the time of his injury, allowing just 13 total pressures across 10 games. He has now allowed just one sack in two years for the Cowboys."

Dak Prescott, who suffered a gruesome injury in Week 5 of 2020, has been a leader to the club in the training room while rehabilitating his surgically repaired ankle. Prescott is also looking to re-establish himself as a force in the NFL after re-signing with the Cowboys this past March, which made him the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL.

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PFF ranked Prescott at No. 50 on their list, citing his offensive leadership and passing numbers as part of the reason for their ranking:

"Prescott was in the midst of a career year before a nasty injury took him off the field after just five weeks of action. In those five weeks (four full games and 22 dropbacks of Week 5), he passed for 1,856 yards and accounted for the same number of total touchdowns Daniel Jones recorded over the full season for the Giants.

Prescott put up a PFF grade of 85.2, and he had the Dallas offense looking like one of the best in the game. If he returns healthy in 2021, he should be one of the best players in the game once more."

The Cowboys are looking to 2021 as a bounce-back year after a disappointing 6-10 season in 2020. The health of the offensive line will be important as Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and La'el Collins missed a combined 36 games in 2020, as will be the health of Dak Prescott.

The Dallas Cowboys kick off the 2021 season on September 9, 2021, on the road in Tampa against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champ Buccaneers with a chance to show off their top-50 talent, and more.

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