Draft Diamonds: Cowboys Top 10 Best All-Time Picks

From a Heisman Trophy winner on lay-away to a TCU afterthought, the best NFL draft picks in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.

In their previous 62 NFL Drafts the Dallas Cowboys have selected 767 players, highlighted by 11 future Pro Football Hall of Famers. Obviously there have also been monumental whiffs, but you don't win five Super Bowls and become America's Team by not consistently winning the draft.

Suffice to say, the Cowboys have historically been one of the most surprising teams in one of sports’ most fickle events.

In ’09 they orchestrated a Dirty Dozen, flubbing all 12 picks. In ’64 they recovered from a top-pick bust to historically nab three Hall of Famers. In line with their lineage of inconsistency, the rolling five-year report card reveals a mixed bag of good (Tyler Smith in '22, Micah Parsons in '21, CeeDee Lamb in ’20, Leighton Vander Esch in ’18 and Ezekiel Elliott/Dak Prescott in ’16) and downright putrid (Trysten Hill in ’19 and Taco Charlton in ’17).

Taken at No. 12, Parsons is already trending toward someday cracking this list.

This year the Cowboys pick 26th, where they've had a mixed bag of results from decent (linebacker Anthony Spencer '07) to dreadful (Alexander Wright in '96). 

Considering it’s much easier to look back with hindsight rather than ahead with foresight, our Top 10 Best All-Time time Cowboys draft picks:

BEST

10. Bob Hayes – Hall-of-Fame personnel director Gil Brandt drafted him in the 7th round in ’64 purely for his speed out of Florida A&M, and wound up with a receiver that revolutionized the forward pass and sprinted all the way to Canton.

9. Jason Witten – Third-rounder in ’03 made 11 Pro Bowls, owns franchise records for games played, receptions and receiving yards, and is destined for Hall of Fame despite his Oakland detour.

8. Tony Dorsett – You better be right when you trade up to the No. 2 pick and in ’77 the Cowboys certainly were, landing the Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl champ and eventual Hall of Fame running back.

7. Larry Allen – Drafted 46th overall in ’94 out of Division II Sonoma State, he blossomed into one of the one of the most dominating offensive linemen of his era with a Super Bowl, 11 Pro Bowls and a bust in Canton.

6. Zack Martin – It’s not merely that the offensive lineman has made the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons since being drafted 16th overall in 2014, it’s also that he isn’t Johnny Manziel.

5. Troy Aikman – Seemingly a no-brainer, but several draftniks including ESPN’s Mel Kiper touted Tony Mandarich as No. 1 in ’89.

4. Rayfield Wright – Brandt stole another Hall of Famer from out of the blue, drafting the offensive lineman out of Georgia’s tiny Fort Valley State in the 7th round (182nd overall) in ’67.

3. Emmitt Smith – Jimmy Johnson desired Baylor linebacker James Francis in ’90, but instead drafted the NFL’s all-time leading rusher 15 spots behind another running back, Blair Thomas.

2. Larry Brown – A 12th-round afterthought (320th overall) from TCU in ’91, he won three Super Bowl rings and was MVP of Super Bowl XXX.

1. Roger Staubach – While Captain America’s four-year Navy commitment scared off most teams in ’64, Dallas gambled, waited and eventually hit the jackpot with a 10th-round pick (129th overall) that blossomed into a Hall of Fame quarterback and the franchise’s first two Super Bowl victories.

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