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Dallas Cowboys - Best Number One Pick for Every Team in NFL Draft History
Tom Landry is well associated with the Dallas Cowboys given the fact he was their first head coach in history when they made their debut in 1961. Landry would be on the sidelines for the next 28 seasons. If not for the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the 1970s, the Cowboys probably would have been the best team in the NFL let alone becoming known as “America’s Team.” Landry built a powerhouse team that had some amazing star talent. The very first pick for Landry and the Cowboys was a defensive tackle from Texas Christian University (TCU) who would reach a high level of success in the NFL and he was Bob Lilly. A year later the first pick was a solid Lee Roy Jordan. Two years later the first good quarterback drafted by Dallas would be Craig Morton. Over the next 20-30 years, a slew of great players came along many of which would land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The names roll of a football fan’s tongue...Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith. How does one choose the best of that group when they were that good? Smith is the NFL’s all-time rushing leader. Dorsett was a Barry Sanders type before Sanders came along with a little more flash. Troy Aikman is a multiple Super Bowl winner. Jones a force on defense as was Randy White. For me, it was athleticism that rules the day and for that, my choice would be Tony Dorsett.
Honorable Mentions: Billy Joe Dupree (1973), Larry Bethea (1978), Russell Maryland (1991), Terence Newman (2003), Dez Bryant (2010), Zack Martin (2014), Ezekiel Elliott (2016)
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