Pro Football Focus Gives Zeke Rookie of Year

The Dallas Cowboys are 7-1 at the midpoint of their season and tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the NFL.

The website Pro Football Focus gave out its PFF 2016 Midseason Awards and the Cowboys are owning two categories, Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year.

In both polls, Ezekiel Elliott tops Dak Prescott. I would have flipped them if I had a vote.

This is what PFF had to say about the rookies:

Rookie of the Year

Winner: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

I said the moment that Ezekiel Elliott was drafted by Dallas that he was destined for Rookie of the Year behind that offensive line, and so far, that logic has held up. The Cowboys still have arguably the best offensive line in the game, and Elliott has shown at times the value-add he can bring in terms of yards after contact and work beyond the space they open up. He leads the league with 891 rushing yards, which puts him on pace for 1,782 rushing yards this season—within sight of Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record. Crucially, Elliott has also earned solid grades in the passing game, both as a receiver and blocker, keeping him as an every-down player and an impact force that can carry the Cowboys’ offense when it needs it. He certainly has competition to fight off from the rookie QBs, none more so than his own teammate, but right now, Elliott is the midseason Rookie of the Year.

Runner-up: Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

The most unlikely rookie of the year candidate of them all, Dak Prescott maintained his excellent preseason performance once things went live in the regular season. He has been excellent but for one hiccup in performance against a formidable Eagles’ defensive front, and if he maintains this (and keeps the starter’s job) down the stretch, he will be a hard player to beat out for Rookie of the Year.

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