Best Draft Picks in Dallas Cowboys History

Posted By on March 28, 2018

Heisman trophy winner Roger Staubach lasted until the 10th round of the 1964 draft because he decided to serve  in Vietnam after college.  Photo by © Jerry Coli | Dreamstime.com.LLC

The Dallas Cowboys are firmly committed to building their team through the draft.  They have drafted fairly well in recent years and in 2018 and they hope to continue that trend.  Hopefully they can make a selection that we Cowboy fans will look back in a few years and say “Man, that was a great pick!”  The following are my top 5 prime examples of such great picks.

Honorable Mention: RayField Wright (Round 7), Bob Hayes (Round 7), Leon Lett (Round 7),  Jason Witten(Round 3), Mel Renfro (Round 2), Darren Woodson (Round 2),

  1. Dak Prescott: 2016 Round 4. No. 135

In a draft loaded with QB talent there were 7 QB’s drafted ahead of Dak Prescott in 2016.  In fact the Dallas Cowboys tried to trade up to select Paxton Lynch in the 1st round and Connor Cook in the 4th before settling on Dak Prescott later in that same round.  The Cowboys may have gotten a little bit lucky considering he was not their first choice but Prescott would outperform all of the other QB’s that year on route to a 13 win season and an offensive rookie of the year award.  He may have struggled at times in 2017 but at 23 years old and with 22 wins under his belt already, the future is bright for Dak in Dallas.

  1. Larry Allen: 1994 Round 2. No. 46 Overall

There were 9 Offensive linemen selected before Larry Allen in the 1994 NFL draft but he remains the only Hall of Fame linemen taken in the entire draft that year.  Injury history and playing for tiny Sonoma State University allowed the talented offensive lineman to become available to the Cowboys in the 2nd round and they pulled the trigger on him.  Larry Allen proved to be a steal as he is considered by many to be the best offensive lineman in franchise history.

  1. Emmitt Smith: 1990 Round 1. No. 17 Overall

The Cowboys acquired the No. 17 overall pick in the 1990 draft as part of the haul from the infamous Herschel Walker trade.  Emmitt Smith was the 2nd running back selected after Blair Thomas and was followed by Darrell Thompson, Steve Broussard, Rodney Hampton and Dexter Carter.  I think it is fair to say that the Hall of Fame running back and All-time leading rusher was by far the best back out of that group.  The Cowboys ended up with perhaps the greatest player in club history and the offensive centerpiece for the dynasty of the 90’s.

  1. Bob Lilly: 1961 Round 1. No. 13 Overall

The first ever draft pick in the history of the franchise produced arguably the best player ever to play for the Dallas Cowboys and potentially the greatest Defensive Tackle in the history of the league.  The Cowboys actually traded back from the 2nd spot down to 13 and still were able to pick up a cornerstone defensive player, a hall of famer and a man that became known as “Mr. Cowboy”.

  1. Roger Staubach: 1964 Round 10. No. 120 Overall

Easily the best draft pick in the history of the franchise.   Staubach was a Heisman trophy winner but he opted to serve his country in Vietnam after graduating from Navy.  For that reason he lasted until the 10th round of the 1964 draft.  Dallas took a chance on him and 5 years later he officially joined the Cowboys.  The Hall of Famer led the Cowboys to their first 2 Super Bowls and was named Super Bowl MVP in 1972.  He is not only a legend but an icon and will forever be the face of the franchise.

*All data and statistics confirmed and verified through https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

Full First Round 32 Team Mock Draft with Bold Predictions