While the Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl in almost 30 years, they do have five in their history, thanks in large part to their success in the NFL Draft.
Although it’s easy to select the best players in franchise history, identifying and ranking the greatest Dallas draft picks involves several different factors, making for a much more difficult conversation to get right.
Ranking the Greatest Dallas Cowboys Draft Picks
With the Cowboys’ rich history well known, it has taken a lot of homegrown talent for them to reach this point. While there have been some key free agent acquisitions throughout time that have helped along the way, their best players have always been their homegrown talent.
With all of that being said, it’s time to dive into who made the final cut for this prestigious list. Here are the top five Cowboys draft picks in franchise history.
5) Larry Brown (1991)
From a 12th-round selection to Super Bowl MVP, the road for Cowboys defensive back Larry Brown was a fun one.
Brown was the 320th selection in the 1991 NFL Draft and went on to play six seasons with the team, tallying three Super Bowl titles and the aforementioned Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl 30. Brown played in 83 games, starting 74 of them, finishing with 14 interceptions, two touchdowns, and 291 tackles.
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For being a 12th-round pick, Brown enjoyed a tremendous career, shined in the brightest moments, and was a pivotal piece of a very good Cowboys defense during a time when the group was helping the franchise become a dynasty.
4) Emmitt Smith (1990)
When you draft a future record-breaker at their position, the pick belongs in the conversation for most impactful in franchise history. Such is the case for Emmitt Smith, who was the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft and is currently the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards, as well as the record holder for career rushing touchdowns with 164.
Smith is the only running back to win a Super Bowl trophy, the NFL MVP award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl MVP award all in the same season, a feat he accomplished in 1993.
Smith sometimes gets lost in the shuffle when discussing the best running backs in NFL history, but his impact can’t be ignored. He played a massive role in the ’90s dynasty and was leaned on in the biggest moments to make a play, and no one delivered quite as consistently as he did throughout his career.
3) Troy Aikman (1989)
When you are drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, it comes with expectations. In the case of Troy Aikman, who was selected by the Cowboys with the first pick in the 1989 Draft, he met and exceeded every challenge that was put in front of him.
Aikman spent his entire 12-year Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys, finishing with three Super Bowl titles, six Pro Bowls, and one Super Bowl MVP. Aikman was the heart and soul of the Cowboys dynasty, someone who held the other stars around him accountable and gave the younger players someone to look up to.
From being a leader of men to being a player you can count on in the big moment to give you everything you got, Aikman was the picturesque QB draft pick. When you pick a player with the first selection to lead your franchise into the future, you hope he eventually becomes everything Aikman was in Dallas.
2) Roger Staubach (1964)
From a 10th-round selection in the 1964 NFL Draft to being known as “Captain America” and being the QB and leader of the first Cowboys dynasty. The story of Roger Staubach is a fascinating one.
After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Staubach served a tour in Vietnam before beginning his NFL career. From there, Staubach spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys, leading them to five Super Bowls and winning two of them.
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He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a six-time Pro Bowler, and was one of the first of four players to ever win the Heisman Trophy Award in college and a Super Bowl MVP in the NFL — a feat that only Jim Plunkett, Marcus Allen, and Desmond Howard were able to achieve.
Staubach was the first true face of “America’s Team” as the star in Dallas was truly beginning to grow into what it is today. The Cowboys took a chance on a player fresh off of a tour of duty who hadn’t played football in four years, and it paid off as one of the best decisions the franchise had ever made.
1) Bob Lilly (1960)
At No. 1, it could be none other than Bob Lilly, A.K.A. Mr. Cowboy — and the first-ever draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys franchise. Every single pick has come after him and has attempted to match the standard he has set from the conception of the franchise.
Lilly played all 14 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys and finished with 11 Pro Bowls, seven All-Pros, and one Super Bowl title. He is a member of the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team.
Lilly played in and started all 196 games of his career, and there may not be a player who embodies the Dallas Cowboys quite like Lilly. The born-and-bred Texan is Mr. Cowboy for a reason, and when looking at the history of the franchise, you can’t tell the story without mentioning the very first draft pick.
