IRVING, Texas -- The texts continue to pour in, but Dak Prescott doesn't have an answer for them yet.
It's understandable that people who have questions for Prescott. After all, the Mississippi State legend grew up in nearby Haughton, La., and he's been a lifelong Cowboys fan. The past few days have undoubtedly been surreal.
"Everybody wants to know how I feel, how does it feel to be a Cowboys quarterback," he said. "Every morning I wake up to texts, like 'Has it hit you yet?' or 'Are you ready?'"
It's been five days since the Cowboys selected Prescott No. 135 overall in the NFL draft, but he said reality hasn't quite set in. If Thursday's arrival at Valley Ranch didn't do the trick, then perhaps it will happen on Friday – when Prescott and his fellow rookies undergo their first Cowboys practice.
"Maybe when I walk onto that practice field – that I'm a member of the Dallas Cowboys," he said. "I know it's exciting. It's a dream come true."
Prescott comes to Dallas as the most decorated player in Mississippi State history. He set 38 school records for the Bulldogs during his time in Starkville, Miss., earning All-America and All-SEC honors in the process. In 2014, he led Mississippi State to the No. 1 ranking in the country and fell just short of the College Football Playoff.
The former Heisman Trophy contender meant enough to the program that Mississippi State produced quite the video tribute in his honor:
"It's definitely humbling just to know how they feel about me, and I feel exactly the same way about them. Nothing but love, 100 percent, coming from both ways," Prescott said. "The big deal they said in the video is that they're going to follow me wherever I go, so I know the Cowboys just added a bunch of good fans."
Given the position he plays, there's bound to be an uptick in attention surrounding Prescott. The Cowboys drafted him to be their young, developmental quarterback. As has been noted in the past week, he's the first quarterback drafted by this organization since 2009.
The expectation will be high, especially given Prescott's reputation. The night he was drafted, Cowboys executives glowed about the "It" factor that their new quarterback brings to the table.
"He is just one of those guys that they feel has such great intangible qualities," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "A great leader; positively impacts everybody there; has played big in big games and has done a lot of really good things on the field."
Prescott said that doesn't create any pressure, however. Starting off his Cowboys career, he said he's keeping his focus as simple as possible.
"It's more be myself – push the other people around me, bring a lot of energy, make the others around me better," he said. "But at the same time, I've got to learn a whole new playbook, learn a new system and make sure I'm doing that first and foremost so I can lead by example, as well."
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