10 QB prospects the Cowboys could draft to replace Dak Prescott in 2025

No. 5: Graham Mertz, Florida

Graham Mertz might not be a popular name on many top-5 lists, but he’s moving up boards and has the potential to make up ground in 2024. The Wisconsin transfer did well in his transition to Florida and looks like one of the more poised passers in his class.

Mertz, 6-foot-3, 215-pounds isn’t spectacular in any one area of the game but he’s efficient across the board. Sort of a dink-and-dunk passer, he’s accurate and safe with his passes and focuses on ball placement and timing to provide YAC.

Mertz posted strong third down numbers, indicating high leverage situations are not a problem. The Cowboys commonly ask a lot from their signal callers on third downs with Prescott being the top third down passer in the NFL last season.

Also like Prescott, Mertz makes excellent pre-snap reads at the line and thrives under pass rushing pressure. His arm is average so he struggles a bit delivering to the wide side of the field but it’s not a major hinderance. He has a quick release, doesn’t take sacks but leans on a lot of play-action and RPOs, which, as mentioned earlier, can be a red flag.

If Mertz can repeat his steady 2023 season in 2024, he’ll be regarded as one of the safer prospects in the class and should be a first-second round option for a team like the Cowboys. His ceiling looks fairly capped and that’s unlikely to change.