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Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: From the home office in Irving, Texas, DallasCowboys.com has this week's top 10 list, a ranking of the best draft classes in team history as selected by the website writing staff - Nick Eatman, Rob Phillips and Josh Ellis. A new countdown will debut each Friday.)
The 2011 NFL Draft is still fresh on the mind, and it's impossible to predict how the Cowboys' eight selections will fare in their careers. However, what is clear is that their success or failure will have a huge bearing on the team's win-loss record for years to come.
This ranking of the top 10 draft classes in NFL history proves that much. The team had a smattering of success in the draft in the 1960s and '70s, in the midst of a 20-year stretch of winning football. A down period followed in the last of the '70s and through most of the '80s, when the Cowboys went through a long period of doldrums. Several strong drafts led to the 1990s dynasty, but too many busts since then are largely responsible for the team having just one playoff win since 1996.
In ranking these draft classes, preference was given to Hall of Fame selections and the number of Pro Bowl berths to emerge from each lottery, with further emphasis on the players' contributions to winning clubs. Some picks went on to have great success with other teams, which earned a lower level of consideration.
There were a number of classes worthy of honorable mentions, including the team's very first college draft, in 1961, which yielded "Mr. Cowboy," Hall-of-Fame DT Bob Lilly, but little else. Great contributors would also come from the classes of 1974 (DE Ed "Too Tall" Jones, QB Danny White), 1992 (CB Kevin Smith, S Darren Woodson, LB Robert Jones and WR Jimmy Smith), and 2002 (S Roy Williams, C Andre Gurode and WR Antonio Bryant). However, those years weren't strong enough to crack the Top 10.
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No. 10 - 1973
No pick was better than third-rounder Harvey Martin of East Texas State, who came with the 53rd overall pick. He still holds the Cowboys' career record for sacks with 114.0, made four Pro Bowls in his 11-year career and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1977. First-round tight end Billy Joe Dupree was no slouch either, making three straight Pro Bowls from 1976-78 and playing the same 11-year span with the Cowboys as Martin. Second-round wide receiver Golden Richards was a four-year starter.
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No. 9 - 1990
It wasn't a particularly deep class by any means, as only DT Jimmie Jones (third round) and DB Kenneth Gant (ninth round) emerged as mid-to-late-round contributors. However, the first-round pick, No. 17 overall, was well spent. The Cowboys traded one of their first-round picks from Minnesota (via the Herschel Walker trade) to Pittsburgh to move up, hoping to grab Baylor LB James Francis. When he went off the board, they "settled" for little Florida RB Emmitt Smith, who, of course, would go on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
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No. 8 - 1988
The last draft overseen by Tom Landry, Tex Schramm and Gil Brandt would net the Cowboys several key players and one Hall-of-Fame wide receiver, the heart of the 1990s dynasty. Michael Irvin was the No. 11 overall pick out of Miami, but second-round LB Ken Norton Jr. would go on to be a pivotal defensive player for two Cowboys Super Bowl teams, and another with San Francisco. DE Chad Hennings was quite a steal in the 11th round, becoming a six-year starter after fulfilling his Air Force service requirement.
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No. 7 - 2003
While this class hasn't experienced the postseason success of most others on this list, it was the beginning of a turnaround in the franchise's fortunes. The Cowboys immediately emerged from three-straight years of 5-11 finishes to reach the playoffs in '03, and would earn one of the league's highest winning percentages over the second half of the decade. No. 1 pick CB Terence Newman has made multiple Pro Bowls, and fourth-round LB Bradie James has led the team in tackles the past six seasons. The real jewel was third-round pick TE Jason Witten, who could be in line for the Hall of Fame if he keeps up his production. Undrafted QB Tony Romo wasn't a consideration, or the class might've ranked even higher.
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No. 6 - 1977
The Cowboys made a bold trade up in the draft to land the second overall pick, which they spent on Heisman-winning RB Tony Dorsett. He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year and propelled the Cowboys to a win in Super Bowl XII, just the beginning of a Hall of Fame career. Third-rounder Tony Hill ranks as one of the team's finest wide receivers and sixth-round OL Jim Cooper was a starter for eight seasons.
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No. 5 - 2005
This ranks as the deepest Cowboys draft in recent memory. The No. 1 pick, LB DeMarcus Ware, is the best pass-rusher in the league, while five of the seven other choices were starters in the NFL last season - DE Marcus Spears, LB Kevin Burnett, RB Marion Barber, DE Chris Canty and seventh-rounder Jay Ratliff, the team's best late-round gem since Leon Lett. Though Burnett and Canty have moved on in free agency, and Spears and Barber could be on the way out as well, it's clear each was a good pick.
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No. 4 - 1991
Like '05, the 1991 draft ranks highly because of its depth, although this class gets the nod because it produced championship contributors in top overall pick DT Russell Maryland, first-round WR Alvin Harper, LB Dixon Edwards, LB Godfrey Myles, T Erik Williams, DT Leon Lett and CB Larry Brown. Maryland and Harper did not have extended runs with the club, though they were high-impact starters during the '90s dynasty. For a time, Williams and Lett were among the best at their respective positions in the league, while Brown would go on to become the MVP of Super Bowl XXX.
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No. 3 - 1975
Known as "the Dirty Dozen," this draft haul included 12 players who made the team, more than what was expected, and played roles in the Cowboys reaching Super Bowl X in a season that didn't begin with great hope. Several would become long-time contributors, no star shining brighter than that of No. 2 overall pick Randy White, who the Cowboys converted from a linebacker into one of the premier defensive tackles in league history and a 1994 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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No. 2 - 1989
The "team of the '90s" wouldn't have existed were it not for great drafting success at the tail end of the previous decade, most notably in the formation of "The Triplets." The selections of Irvin in '88 and Smith in '90 were sandwiched around 1989's choice of QB Troy Aikman at No. 1 overall. He made six Pro Bowls and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, while the Cowboys also drafted Pro Bowlers in rounds 2-4 with FB Daryl Johnston, C Mark Stepnoski and DE Tony Tolbert.
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No. 1 - 1964
One of the greatest classes in league history and inarguably the best in the Cowboys' 51 drafts, the 1964 crop included three Hall of Famers. Second-round pick DB Mel Renfro, made the Pro Bowl in the first 10 seasons of his career and was a five-time All-Pro before being enshrined in Canton in 1996. Seventh-round WR Bob Hayes, "the World's Fastest Man," literally changed the game and the position with his deep speed, which earned him a Hall of Fame berth in 2009. And 10th-round QB Roger Staubach is the biggest steal in club history. After fulfilling his Navy commitment, Staubach led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories in four appearances, and retired as the highest-rated passer of all time. He was elected a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1985.
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: From the home office in Irving, Texas, DallasCowboys.com has this week's top 10 list, a ranking of the best draft classes in team history as selected by the website writing staff - Nick Eatman, Rob Phillips and Josh Ellis. A new countdown will debut each Friday.)
The 2011 NFL Draft is still fresh on the mind, and it's impossible to predict how the Cowboys' eight selections will fare in their careers. However, what is clear is that their success or failure will have a huge bearing on the team's win-loss record for years to come.
This ranking of the top 10 draft classes in NFL history proves that much. The team had a smattering of success in the draft in the 1960s and '70s, in the midst of a 20-year stretch of winning football. A down period followed in the last of the '70s and through most of the '80s, when the Cowboys went through a long period of doldrums. Several strong drafts led to the 1990s dynasty, but too many busts since then are largely responsible for the team having just one playoff win since 1996.
In ranking these draft classes, preference was given to Hall of Fame selections and the number of Pro Bowl berths to emerge from each lottery, with further emphasis on the players' contributions to winning clubs. Some picks went on to have great success with other teams, which earned a lower level of consideration.
There were a number of classes worthy of honorable mentions, including the team's very first college draft, in 1961, which yielded "Mr. Cowboy," Hall-of-Fame DT Bob Lilly, but little else. Great contributors would also come from the classes of 1974 (DE Ed "Too Tall" Jones, QB Danny White), 1992 (CB Kevin Smith, S Darren Woodson, LB Robert Jones and WR Jimmy Smith), and 2002 (S Roy Williams, C Andre Gurode and WR Antonio Bryant). However, those years weren't strong enough to crack the Top 10.
-
No. 10 - 1973
No pick was better than third-rounder Harvey Martin of East Texas State, who came with the 53rd overall pick. He still holds the Cowboys' career record for sacks with 114.0, made four Pro Bowls in his 11-year career and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1977. First-round tight end Billy Joe Dupree was no slouch either, making three straight Pro Bowls from 1976-78 and playing the same 11-year span with the Cowboys as Martin. Second-round wide receiver Golden Richards was a four-year starter.
-
No. 9 - 1990
It wasn't a particularly deep class by any means, as only DT Jimmie Jones (third round) and DB Kenneth Gant (ninth round) emerged as mid-to-late-round contributors. However, the first-round pick, No. 17 overall, was well spent. The Cowboys traded one of their first-round picks from Minnesota (via the Herschel Walker trade) to Pittsburgh to move up, hoping to grab Baylor LB James Francis. When he went off the board, they "settled" for little Florida RB Emmitt Smith, who, of course, would go on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
-
No. 8 - 1988
The last draft overseen by Tom Landry, Tex Schramm and Gil Brandt would net the Cowboys several key players and one Hall-of-Fame wide receiver, the heart of the 1990s dynasty. Michael Irvin was the No. 11 overall pick out of Miami, but second-round LB Ken Norton Jr. would go on to be a pivotal defensive player for two Cowboys Super Bowl teams, and another with San Francisco. DE Chad Hennings was quite a steal in the 11th round, becoming a six-year starter after fulfilling his Air Force service requirement.
-
No. 7 - 2003
While this class hasn't experienced the postseason success of most others on this list, it was the beginning of a turnaround in the franchise's fortunes. The Cowboys immediately emerged from three-straight years of 5-11 finishes to reach the playoffs in '03, and would earn one of the league's highest winning percentages over the second half of the decade. No. 1 pick CB Terence Newman has made multiple Pro Bowls, and fourth-round LB Bradie James has led the team in tackles the past six seasons. The real jewel was third-round pick TE Jason Witten, who could be in line for the Hall of Fame if he keeps up his production. Undrafted QB Tony Romo wasn't a consideration, or the class might've ranked even higher.
-
No. 6 - 1977
The Cowboys made a bold trade up in the draft to land the second overall pick, which they spent on Heisman-winning RB Tony Dorsett. He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year and propelled the Cowboys to a win in Super Bowl XII, just the beginning of a Hall of Fame career. Third-rounder Tony Hill ranks as one of the team's finest wide receivers and sixth-round OL Jim Cooper was a starter for eight seasons.
-
No. 5 - 2005
This ranks as the deepest Cowboys draft in recent memory. The No. 1 pick, LB DeMarcus Ware, is the best pass-rusher in the league, while five of the seven other choices were starters in the NFL last season - DE Marcus Spears, LB Kevin Burnett, RB Marion Barber, DE Chris Canty and seventh-rounder Jay Ratliff, the team's best late-round gem since Leon Lett. Though Burnett and Canty have moved on in free agency, and Spears and Barber could be on the way out as well, it's clear each was a good pick.
-
No. 4 - 1991
Like '05, the 1991 draft ranks highly because of its depth, although this class gets the nod because it produced championship contributors in top overall pick DT Russell Maryland, first-round WR Alvin Harper, LB Dixon Edwards, LB Godfrey Myles, T Erik Williams, DT Leon Lett and CB Larry Brown. Maryland and Harper did not have extended runs with the club, though they were high-impact starters during the '90s dynasty. For a time, Williams and Lett were among the best at their respective positions in the league, while Brown would go on to become the MVP of Super Bowl XXX.
-
No. 3 - 1975
Known as "the Dirty Dozen," this draft haul included 12 players who made the team, more than what was expected, and played roles in the Cowboys reaching Super Bowl X in a season that didn't begin with great hope. Several would become long-time contributors, no star shining brighter than that of No. 2 overall pick Randy White, who the Cowboys converted from a linebacker into one of the premier defensive tackles in league history and a 1994 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
-
No. 2 - 1989
The "team of the '90s" wouldn't have existed were it not for great drafting success at the tail end of the previous decade, most notably in the formation of "The Triplets." The selections of Irvin in '88 and Smith in '90 were sandwiched around 1989's choice of QB Troy Aikman at No. 1 overall. He made six Pro Bowls and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, while the Cowboys also drafted Pro Bowlers in rounds 2-4 with FB Daryl Johnston, C Mark Stepnoski and DE Tony Tolbert.
-
No. 1 - 1964
One of the greatest classes in league history and inarguably the best in the Cowboys' 51 drafts, the 1964 crop included three Hall of Famers. Second-round pick DB Mel Renfro, made the Pro Bowl in the first 10 seasons of his career and was a five-time All-Pro before being enshrined in Canton in 1996. Seventh-round WR Bob Hayes, "the World's Fastest Man," literally changed the game and the position with his deep speed, which earned him a Hall of Fame berth in 2009. And 10th-round QB Roger Staubach is the biggest steal in club history. After fulfilling his Navy commitment, Staubach led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories in four appearances, and retired as the highest-rated passer of all time. He was elected a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1985.
