Next Gen Stats 2023 All-Pro Team: Dak Prescott gets quarterback slot on offense full of Cowboys, 49ers

The NGS 2023 All-Pro Team features five Cowboys — the most selections for any franchise — and this man is more than deserving of top billing on the offensive side. No quarterback consistently played with more of a lights-out mentality over the past four months than Prescott. Despite the hiccup against the Bills in Week 15, Dak closed out the regular season with the second-highest EPA per dropback (+0.16) among qualified quarterbacks, leading the league with a 90 NGS Passing Score and a +4.7 completion percentage over expected (CPOE), all while guiding the Cowboys to the NFC East title. And it was Prescott’s performance under fire that really set him apart from the pack this season: Dak’s +9.0 CPOE when facing pressure was the highest mark in the NFL by more than four percentage points, and his 8.4 yards per attempt on such passes also led the league.

Few marriages have been more successful than that of this running back and the Kyle Shanahan scheme. In his first full season with San Francisco, McCaffrey not only led the league in rushing yards (1,459) and rush yards over expected (+349), but he accomplished a feat that may never be replicated. McCaffrey led the NFL in both yards before contact (510) and yards after contact (949), the first player to do so in the Next Gen Stats era (which dates back to 2017) — a major testament to the offense Shanahan and John Lynch have meticulously constructed over the years.

Had it not been for the ankle injury suffered in Miami’s Week 14 loss to Tennessee, Hill was determined to not only break Calvin Johnson’s single-season record for receiving yards (1,964) but also become the first wideout to hit 2,000 yards. The injury held Hill short of both milestones, but he still led the league with 1,799 receiving yards. The metric that most defines Hill’s prolific campaign? The former Chief led the league with 602 receiving yards on quick passes (time to throw is less than 2.5 seconds) of 10-plus air yards, 308 more than the next pass catcher (Hill’s teammate, Jaylen Waddle). Tyreek’s raw speed combined with Mike McDaniel’s heavy use of motion enabled the WR to not only do damage down the field, but to get there faster than any other player in the league.

The fourth-year receiver out of Oklahoma certainly excelled over the past few campaigns, but 2023 was when he truly took the leap into the upper echelon of pass catchers. Lamb set career highs in just about any metric one could conjure up — and led the NFL in receptions over expected (+18.6). Most of CeeDee’s production came from the slot, where he paced the league with 894 yards and accumulated the second-most receiving yards over expected (+167).

Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel compose a premiere receiving duo in an offense loaded with elite players, but Aiyuk gets the nod for the final WR spot available here. His career highs in receiving yards (1,342), receptions over expected (+8.8) and receiving yards over expected (+257) all doubled as top-10 finishes league-wide, with his +73.9 receiving EPA being the third-highest among all pass catchers. Aiyuk made his presence known in the intermediate area of the field (10 to 19 yards), as his 696 receiving yards off such passes were 101 more than the next-closest receiver (Tyreek Hill).

Kittle and Brock Purdy picked up where they left off last season, as the tight end eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the first time since 2019 and likewise saw his highest output in receiving yards over expected (+240) and yards after the catch over expected (+192) since that ’19 campaign. Like his teammates, Kittle also benefited from operating under innovative offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, who used motion to get the rugged runner into open space. Kittle led all tight ends with an average of 3.7 yards per route run when used in a shift or in motion this season, which was also the third-highest figure among all players (minimum 50 routes run).

Dawkins has been the consistent cornerstone of Buffalo’s offensive line in the Josh Allen-Sean McDermott era. That said, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound behemoth took his game to another level this season, allowing just three sacks and a 6.7 percent pressure rate — the third-lowest mark among left tackles with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps. When he did allow pressure, it didn’t come easy: Dawkins’ 3.27-second average time to pressure was the fifth-longest among left tackles who allowed at least 25 pressures this season.

The former Patriot’s game has not slipped since his relocation to Kansas City in 2021, as this season marks the third in a row in which Thuney has finished in the top six in pressure rate allowed among left guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps. And like with Dion Dawkins, pressure didn’t come easy against Thuney: His 3.52-second average time to pressure was the third-longest among left guards who allowed at least 25 pressures this season.

In just his second NFL season, Linderbaum anchored a Baltimore offensive line that helped propel the Ravens to the NFL’s best record at 13-4. The pivot’s 4.8 percent pressure rate allowed was the fifth lowest among centers with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps this season — and he only allowed one half-sack over 15 starts. Time to pressure is a common highlight for the linemen on this All-Pro roster: Linderbaum’s 3.57-second mark in this area was the third-longest among centers who allowed at least 20 pressures this season.

It’s not often a team acquiesces to the demands of a 32-year-old player with two years left on his contract, but Jerry Jones did just that this past August when he reworked Martin’s deal to fully guarantee the last two years and make him the third-highest-paid guard in the NFL. The move paid off for Jones and the ‘Boys, as Martin allowed pressure on just 5.9 percent of his pass blocks when in a one-on-one matchup this season, the third-lowest rate among right guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps.

The first non-skill player to come off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 7 overall, Sewell has not only been an impactful pass blocker, but he is a certified road grader in the run game. Detroit running backs gained the fourth-most yards per carry (5.3) and the second-most rush yards over expected (+137) on rushes outside and to the right this season, leading to a league-high seven touchdowns on such runs for the unit. Sewell’s presence was a crucial reason why there was room for both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to produce handsomely.