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Best and worst of the Cowboys’ drafts

Richie Whitt

Saying the Cowboys are players in this year’s NFL Draft is akin to exaggerating the importance of eggs at Easter.

I mean, yeah, they’re part of the show. But hardly the featured act.

Before the defending NFC East champs make their first selection, it will be Friday night. The draft begins Thursday. When the Cowboys announce a name at No. 58, the division foe Eagles (3), Giants (3) and Redskins (2) will have made a combined eight picks.

The price of sitting out the meaty part of this draft is Amari Cooper. Depending on the year and your perspective, the void could be blight or blessing. Because for their five Super Bowls, 13 Hall of Famers and unprecedented aura as America’s Team, the Cowboys’ draft history is resplendent with both winners and whiffs.

They have drafted a basketball player (Pat Riley in ’67), a baseball player (Merv Rettemund in ’65) and a sprinter (Carl Lewis in ’84) that never set foot on a football field. In ’09 – the last time they selected as late as this year – they botched an entire 12-pick draft. In ’64, they recovered from a top-pick gaffe to nab three Hall of Famers.

Dallas’ No. 1 in ’18, Leighton Vander Esch, is trending toward being a surprisingly superior selection. Taco Charlton, No. 1 in ’17, could be headed for the other list.

The 10 Best and Worst Draft Picks in Cowboys’ History:

 

The Worst

 

  1. David LaFleur – Hand-picked by Troy Aikman to replace Jay Novacek, the 22nd pick in ’97 flopped with only 85 catches in 60 career games.

 

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

 

  1. Felix Jones – 22nd overall pick in ’08 scored on a kickoff return in his first game, but never rushed for more than 800 yards in a season.

 

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

 

  1. Tody Smith – Southern Cal defensive end was drafted 25th overall in ’71, but produced 0 sacks in 69 games with Cowboys.

 

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

 

  1. 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.

 

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

 

  1. 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, but instead signed with the AFL’s Houston Oilers and never played a down in Dallas. He was traded to Steelers for receiver Buddy Dial, who scored only two TDs for Cowboys.

 

 

The Best

 

  1. Jason Witten – Third-rounder in ’03 made 11 Pro Bowls, owns franchise records for games played, receptions and receiving yards, and is already a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame as he prepares for a comeback in ’19.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

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

 

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

 

  1. Rayfield Wright – Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman was nabbed in the 7th round (182nd overall) in ’67.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. Larry Brown – 12th-round afterthought in ’91 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 won with a 10th-round pick (129th overall) that begat a Hall of Fame quarterback and the franchise’s first two Super Bowl victories.