Dallas NFL Draft History: Cowboys 10 Worst All-Time Picks

From a bad Apple(ton) to a busted Taco, the Dallas Cowboys have produced memorable whiffs in the NFL Draft.

FRISCO - Job 1 for the Dallas Cowboys in this NFL Draft? Get it right. But maybe Job 1A is, "Don't get it wrong in an all-time way.''

In their previous 62 NFL Drafts the Cowboys have selected 767 players, highlighted by 11 future Pro Football Hall of Famers. You don't win five Super Bowls and become "America's Team'' by not consistently winning the draft.

In the last four seasons they've found a Pro Bowl running back in the fourth round (Tony Pollard) and aced three first-round picks in CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith.

But when the Cowboys miss, their whiffs are both infamous and debilitating.

They’ve wasted precious past picks on a basketball player (Pat Riley in ’67), a baseball player (Merv Rettemund in ’65) and an Olympic sprinter (Carl Lewis in ’84), none of which ever stepped foot on a football field.

In ’09 they orchestrated a Dirty Dozen, flubbing all 12 picks. In '17 they chose pass-rusher Taco Charlton over another pass-rusher - three-time All-Pro and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. In '19, they took defensive lineman Trysten Hill six picks before receiver D.K. Metcalf was drafted. Yikes.

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

This year the Cowboys pick 26th, where they've had a mixed bag of results from decent (linebacker Anthony Spencer '07) to dreadful (speedy-but-soft-receiver Alexander Wright in '90).

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

10. Alexander Wright - Speedster from Auburn selected 26th overall in '90 wowed on the track but flopped on the field, failing to catch a touchdown in 34 games in Dallas.

9. Bobby Carpenter – Drafted 18th overall by Bill Parcells in ’06, he never became a starter in Dallas and was eventually cut.

8. Shante Carver – Defensive end was selected 23rd overall in ’94 (ahead of Larry Allen), but started only 26 games over four seasons.

7. Tody Smith – Southern Cal defensive end was drafted 25th overall in ’71, but produced 0 sacks in 69 games with Cowboys. Hall-of-Fame GM Gil Brandt had his misses, too.

6. Bill Thomas – The Boston College runner was taken ahead of Robert Newhouse in ’72, but never scored an NFL touchdown.

5. Taco Charlton – Picked two spots ahead of T.J. Watt at the end of the first round in 2017, he started only seven games in Dallas over two frustrating seasons. (Honorable mention here to Trysten Hill, a Rod Marinelli "pet cat'' who spent too much time on the same team - and same inactive list - with Taco.

4. Morris Claiborne – They traded up to take him at No. 6 in ’12 because of his playmaking skills, which produced only four interceptions in five underwhelming seasons.

3. Kevin Brooks – Forgettable defensive lineman was picked 17th overall in ’85, one spot behind some guy named Jerry Rice.

2. Rod Hill – 25th overall pick in ’82 wasn’t even good enough to flop, never starting a game in a Cowboys uniform.

1. Scott Appleton – University of Texas Outland Trophy winner was taken 4th overall in ’64 and simultaneously traded (via pre-draft agreement) to the Steelers for receiver Buddy Dial, who scored only two touchdowns for the Cowboys. Appleton ultimately shunned Pittsburgh, signing instead with the AFL’s Houston Oilers to commence a disappointing career.

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