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Rating bad draft picks is easy. Look for the first rounders who never made much of an impact and there's the list.
Good draft picks are easy to identify but harder to rate. Troy Aikman seems certain to be a better Cowboys quarterback than Dak Prescott, but he was also taken 134 spots higher when all 32 teams probably would have made him the No. 1 overall pick.
By those standards, Dallas' greatest-ever pick was nabbing Roger Staubach in the 10th round of the 1964 draft, knowing he couldn't play until 1969 when his service in the Navy was done.
Jerry Jones has gotten much criticism since buying the Cowboys in 1988, and there have been some bad drafts, but he's also gotten much right, particularly in the draft. As Dallas ramps up for the 2025 NFL draft, here are some top picks from the Jones era.
This was the second draft for Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson and the first after the Hershel Walker trade. Loaded with draft capital, Dallas moved up four spots after a trade with Pittsburgh to get Smith, 15 spots after the New York Jets took Blair Thomas. The Cowboys ended up with the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
In the first draft after Johnson was run off, Dallas began with arguably Jones' worst pick in pass rusher Taco Charlton, then bounced back in the second round by drafting a tackle from Sonoma State who became a Hall of Famer.
Dallas was looking for a developmental project at quarterback who could groom under the final years of Tony Romo's career. Then Romo got hurt in the preseason and Prescott eventually won the NFL rookie of the year award, beating out his teammate and first-round pick Zeke Elliott.
There isn't even an 12th round anymore, but fortunately for the Cowboys there was in 1991. Brown had a solid eight-year NFL career, but his defining moment will be two interceptions in Super Bowl XXX that earned him MVP honors and one of his three Super Bowl rings.
This was another draft-day trade, as the Philadelphia Eagles wanted to draft DeVonta Smith so badly they traded up for Dallas' pick. That dropped the Cowboys to No. 12 where they took the all-pro Parsons. The issue now is Dallas' efforts to resign him.
Picked up as an undrafted free agent to be a roster filler, Romo needed three years before getting his shot as a starter, then made the Pro Bowl in his first year in that capacity. But he was never drafted, so honorable mention.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
More: Who will the Cowboys draft? Here's a look back at 5 not-so-great Dallas Cowboys picks
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Who will the Cowboys draft? Here are 5 top picks through the years
Continue reading...
Good draft picks are easy to identify but harder to rate. Troy Aikman seems certain to be a better Cowboys quarterback than Dak Prescott, but he was also taken 134 spots higher when all 32 teams probably would have made him the No. 1 overall pick.
By those standards, Dallas' greatest-ever pick was nabbing Roger Staubach in the 10th round of the 1964 draft, knowing he couldn't play until 1969 when his service in the Navy was done.
Jerry Jones has gotten much criticism since buying the Cowboys in 1988, and there have been some bad drafts, but he's also gotten much right, particularly in the draft. As Dallas ramps up for the 2025 NFL draft, here are some top picks from the Jones era.
RB Emmitt Smith, 1990: No. 17 overall
This was the second draft for Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson and the first after the Hershel Walker trade. Loaded with draft capital, Dallas moved up four spots after a trade with Pittsburgh to get Smith, 15 spots after the New York Jets took Blair Thomas. The Cowboys ended up with the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
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OT Larry Allen, 1994: No. 46 overall
In the first draft after Johnson was run off, Dallas began with arguably Jones' worst pick in pass rusher Taco Charlton, then bounced back in the second round by drafting a tackle from Sonoma State who became a Hall of Famer.
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QB Dak Prescott, 2016: No. 135 overall
Dallas was looking for a developmental project at quarterback who could groom under the final years of Tony Romo's career. Then Romo got hurt in the preseason and Prescott eventually won the NFL rookie of the year award, beating out his teammate and first-round pick Zeke Elliott.
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CB Larry Brown, 12th round, 1991: No. 320 overall
There isn't even an 12th round anymore, but fortunately for the Cowboys there was in 1991. Brown had a solid eight-year NFL career, but his defining moment will be two interceptions in Super Bowl XXX that earned him MVP honors and one of his three Super Bowl rings.
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LB Micah Parsons, 2021: 1st round, No. 12 overall
This was another draft-day trade, as the Philadelphia Eagles wanted to draft DeVonta Smith so badly they traded up for Dallas' pick. That dropped the Cowboys to No. 12 where they took the all-pro Parsons. The issue now is Dallas' efforts to resign him.
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Honorable mention. 2003 QB Tony Romo, undrafted
Picked up as an undrafted free agent to be a roster filler, Romo needed three years before getting his shot as a starter, then made the Pro Bowl in his first year in that capacity. But he was never drafted, so honorable mention.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
More: Who will the Cowboys draft? Here's a look back at 5 not-so-great Dallas Cowboys picks
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Who will the Cowboys draft? Here are 5 top picks through the years
Continue reading...
