The 5 Best Draft Picks in the History of Your Dallas Cowboys

Yesterday I had the audacity to dump in your lap the 5 Worst Draft Picks in Cowboys’ history. On the eve of Good Friday, allow me to make amends. Let’s get some positivity up in here.

The Cowboys have drafted a basketball player (Pat Riley in ’67), a baseball player (Merv Rettemund in ’65) and a sprinter (Carl Lewis in ’84). They’ve had their share of misses – ahem, Morris Claiborne better get in gear – but also their moments of draft-day Zen, where a seemingly strange selection helped win a Super Bowl. Or two. Or three.

If the Cowboys come close to any of these with the 16th pick in next month’s draft, the playoffs in 2014 might not be such a pipe dream after all.

The Top 5 draft picks in the history of America’s Team:

5. Troy Aikman – Seemingly a no-brainer, but several draftniks touted Tony Mandarich instead as No. 1 in ’89.

4. Rayfield Wright – Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman was nabbed in the 7th round, the 182nd player picked in ’67.

3. Emmitt Smith – Jimmy Johnson desired Baylor linebacker James Francis, but instead drafted the NFL’s all-time leading rusher 15 spots behind another running back, Blair Thomas, in ’90.

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2. Larry Brown – 12th-round afterthought in ’91 has three Super Bowl rings and won Super Bowl XXX MVP.

1. Roger Staubach – While Captain America’s four-year Navy commitment scared off most teams, Dallas gambled – and won – with him in the 10th round in ’64.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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