The NFL may have found the antidote for its declining television ratings. It's the 2016 draft class.
Five stars, three of them on the offensive side of the ball, are emerging from what was considered a defensive-rich draft, and on Sunday the future morphed into the present. Nowhere was this better on display than at Heinz Field when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-30.
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott played well beyond their age and experience in the win. Elliott accounted for 209 yards and three touchdowns, while Prescott was as cool and in control as some of the best quarterbacks in the league. He matched Ben Roethlisberger drive for drive, including leading the game-winning touchdown drive with 42 seconds left, which ended with Elliott rushing 32 yards for the final go-ahead score.
In calling around to NFL front office executives over the past few weeks, five rookies drew the most mentions as budding stars, including Elliott and Prescott. All five are building résumés that could get them to the Pro Bowl this season.
Here's who executives singled out, and what each is doing that bodes well for the future: