The Cowboys track record drafting in the first round is surprisingly good
As the Cowboys prepare for their 63rd NFL Draft next week – the franchise wasn’t officially recognized until after the 1960 NFL Draft had been held. The burning question of course is: Who will they pick with the 26th pick?
Will they trade up or will they trade down? Will they take a running back, a receiver, or an offensive lineman?
While we can speculate away, we won’t have the answer to that question for another 10 days. We can take a look back at the last six decades of the Cowboys’ draft record and uncover some interesting nuggets.
Today we’ll focus on the first round. Unlike many NFL franchises, for the most part the Cowboys have managed not to bungle their high-value picks.
Trivial Pursuits
Oddly enough, Dallas has not had a first round pick in 11 of their previous 62 drafts (1962, 1967, 1980, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2019). But they have had six drafts with multiple first round picks, including a bonanza of three picks in 1991 (1974, 1975, 1991 (3), 1992, 2005, 2008).
Of the 32 picks in the first round, the Cowboys have never picked from the following positions: 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 21st, 29th, 30th, and 32nd. The most players the Cowboys have selected, over the 62 drafts combined, from any given position in the opening round is five from both the 17th and 20th picks.
Solid Drafting With The Higher Picks
Over the six-plus decades the Cowboys have made 15 total selections in the Top 10 of the first round. Three times they have made the first overall pick and they have hit on all three: (1974) Ed “Too Tall” Jones; (1989) Troy Aikman; and (1991) Russel Maryland.
