The offseason has plateaued in the NFL. The free agents every team wants are all signed to new teams, the blockbuster trades are already made and the draft has come and gone. We are in no-man's-land where there is no real news outside of fantasy speculation and who is or is not showing up for OTAs.
With so much time on our hands before training camp, how are we to get our football fix? Luckily, the release of both Drake and Kanye West's newest albums have given some folks an inspiration on how to pass the time and feed two interests.
The gentlemen over at Catch This Fade have put together a fantastic list of player and artist comparisons for our Dallas Cowboys, and I think this looks like too much fun to not get in on. That being said, I'm going to adjust my list a little to only include current Cowboys players on the roster (RIP the GOATs Witten and Romo).
The summer and offseason have always been about having fun and speculation, so why not keep it going here? Here are my Top 5 Current Dallas Cowboy Players as Hip-Hop Artists:
5. Jaylon Smith as Chance Tha Rapper
www.instagram.com/JaylonSmith
We'll start things off with the guy that everyone wants to cheer for: Jaylon Smith. Smith's story of a horrendous leg injury his senior year of college is a tragic one. He fell from a top 5 pick in the 2016 NFL draft to the second round, which many experts criticized as still too high of a spot for him based on the injury as being possibly career threatening.
Through all of the noise, he worked in physical therapy to regain the strength and coordination to play in the NFL, and now, two years later, we are seeing the product of his hard work.
Chance is a kid from Chicago who has worked himself up from handing out mixtapes to touring around the US with artists such as Kanye West and Childish Gambino. Both attribute everything to a higher power and are just the all-around good guys you can't help but get behind.
4. Demarcus Lawrence as J. Cole
www.instagram.com/DemarcusLawrence
When J. Cole first hit the national scene, he was a kid with potential and a grinder's mentality. Much of his youth was spent studying legends such as Eminem, Tupac and Nas. Despite the early attention he garnered, he did not earn his solo recognition until four years later when his album 2014 Forest Hills Drive went platinum with no featured artists, the first to do so since 1989.
Demarcus Lawrence came into the NFL as a second-round pick with production out of Boise State. His athletic ability was there, but he was unrefined. Flash forward three years later, and he is now the Cowboys' team leader in sacks and on his way to recognition in the form of a long-term contract.
3. The entire O-Line as the Wu-Tang Clan
www.instagram.com/WuTang
This one is a shout out to the group effort in both hip-hop and on the gridiron.
Both conglomerates are more than the sum of their parts, and that even takes into consideration that their parts are close to superstars in their own rights. Wu-Tang was groundbreaking in its approach to hip-hop, and Dallas has invested a mold-breaking four first round picks into their collective.
Both of their styles of performance are based on an in-your-face, aggressive mentality meant to establish dominance and while it is not always flashy, it is always fun to watch/listen to.
2. Dak Prescott as Andre 3000
www.instagram.com/DakPrescott
Dak is about as clean as they come when it comes to his character off the field. He is a captain of his team, polite, possesses a high work ethic, and is an active member of his community. On the field, he is a gritty field general who is as likely to run you over as he is to throw it over you, based on what the defense gives him.
He is the epitome of southern smart quarterback play, just as Andre 3K is the epitome of southern intellectual rapper.
Outkast set the standard for southern rap in their first major albums, and Dak, with the help of Ezekiel Elliot, set a new Dallas Cowboy standard for the team. Also, while Andre's typical style is as a smooth lyricist, his versatility and eclecticism are comparable to Dak's mobility and passing game.
1. Ezekiel Elliott as Drake
www.instagram.com/EzekielElliott
While Big Boi could work for Zeke based on the partnership with Dak, I think the level of Zeke's stardom approaches that of one Drake.
Both are men who reached fame at a young age and have lived their 20s in the public eye. Both men have brash personalities that do not play at fake humility but embrace outspoken confidence. They also both have had their share of distractions from their professions in the form of poor relationship decisions and legal trouble.
While neither has been convicted of any major charges, their issues create questions that crack the fun-loving airs they enjoy putting on. Outside of this, they are both natural talents that promise to remain at the top of their classes.
Bonus. Roger Goodell as Pusha T
He is no Dallas Cowboy, but he has to play the role of Pusha T. That man did not have to come back that hard.