The Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 are professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 team based in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The Cowboys team is a franchise of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 (NFL) and plays in the East Division of the National Football Conference

National Football Conference

The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...

. The first draft in which the Cowboys participated was the 1961 NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting

1961 NFL Draft

The 1961 National Football League Draft took place on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise, and the Vikings were also awarded the first selection position in this draft. This draft was also the first regular draft for...

, more commonly known as the NFL Draft

NFL Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

. In the NFL Draft, each NFL franchise annually adds new players to its roster. Teams are ranked in reverse order based on their records during the previous season, therefore the team with the worst record selects first. There are two exceptions to this order: the Super Bowl

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

 champion from the previous season selects last, and the Super Bowl runner-up selects second to last. Teams have the option of trading away their selections to other teams for different selections, players, cash, or any combination thereof. It is common, therefore, for the actual draft selection of a team to differ from their initial assigned draft selection or for a team to have either extra selections or no selections in any round because of such trades.

All-time first-round draft selections

Hall of Famer Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...  †		Pro Bowl Pro Bowl In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those... er *

Year	Pick	Player	College	Position	Notes
1961 1961 NFL Draft The 1961 National Football League Draft took place on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise, and the Vikings were also awarded the first selection position in this draft. This draft was also the first regular draft for...	13	Bob Lilly Bob Lilly Robert Lewis Lilly is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League and photographer. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.-College career:...  †	TCU TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...	Defensive Tackle
1962 1962 NFL Draft The 1962 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1961.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF: Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...	—	— No Pick	—	—
1963 1963 NFL Draft The 1963 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1962.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...	6	Lee Roy Jordan Lee Roy Jordan Lee Roy Jordan is a retired American football linebacker. After attending the University of Alabama, playing under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, he spent 14 years in the National Football League playing for the Dallas Cowboys between 1963–1976...  *	Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...	Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
1964 1964 NFL Draft The 1964 National Football League Draft took place on December 2, 1963.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...	4	Scott Appleton Scott Appleton Gordon Scott Appleton was an American football defensive lineman in the American Football League. He played college football at the University of Texas, which won the national championship in 1963...	Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...	Offensive Tackle
1965 1965 NFL Draft The 1965 National Football League Draft took place on November 28, 1964. The first player selected was Tucker Frederickson, back from Auburn, by the New York Giants. The draft was marked by the failure of the St...	5	Craig Morton Craig Morton Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...	California California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...	Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
1966 1966 NFL Draft The 1966 National Football League Draft was held on November 27, 1965. It was the last draft in which the NFL and the AFL drafted their players separate of one another. As a result, many players selected by teams from both leagues would choose to play for the more established NFL, or in a rarer...	5	John Niland John Niland (American football) John Hugh Niland is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League from 1966 through 1975.-Early years:He was an All-State fullback at Long Island's Amityville High School....  *	Iowa Iowa Hawkeyes football The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...	Offensive Guard
1967 1967 NFL Draft The 1967 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft in the first year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on March 14–15.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...	—	— No Pick	—	—
1968 1968 NFL Draft The 1968 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on January 30–31.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...	20	Dennis Homan Dennis Homan Dennis Frank Homan is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs . He later played for the Birmingham Americans and Birmingham Vulcans of the World Football League...	Alabama	Defensive End Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
1969 1969 NFL Draft The 1969 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place on January 28–29, 1969....	24	Calvin Hill Calvin Hill Calvin G. Hill is a retired American football running back who had a 12-year NFL career from 1969 to 1981. He played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns...  *	Yale	Running back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
1970 1970 NFL Draft The 1970 National Football League Draft was held on January 27–28, 1970.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...	23	Duane Thomas Duane Thomas Duane Julius Thomas is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins from 1970 to 1974....	West Texas St.	Running back
1971 1971 NFL Draft The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...	25	Tody Smith Tody Smith Lawrence Edward Smith was an American football defensive end in the National Football League.-High school career:...	USC	Defensive End
1972 1972 NFL Draft The 1972 National Football League Draft was held on February 1–2, 1972.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...	26	Bill Thomas Bill Thomas (American football) William Jeffrey "Bill" Thomas is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played three seasons for the Dallas Cowboys , the Houston Oilers , and the Kansas City Chiefs . He was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft out of...	Boston College Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...	Running back
1973 1973 NFL Draft The 1973 National Football League Draft was held on January 30–31, 1973.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...	20	Billy Joe Dupree Billy Joe Dupree Billy Joe DuPree is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League who played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:DuPree was born and reared in Monroe, Louisiana...  *	Michigan State Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...	Tight End Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
1974 1974 NFL Draft The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....	1	Ed "Too Tall" Jones Ed Jones (American football) Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones is a retired American football player in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. By the end of his 15 years with the Cowboys, he was officially credited with 57 quarterback sacks. Unofficially, his career sack total is 106...  *	Tennessee State Tennessee State University Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...	Defensive End
	22	Charley Young Charley Young Charles Lee Young is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at North Carolina State University and was drafted in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft....	North Carolina St. NC State Wolfpack football The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....	Running back
1975 1975 NFL Draft The 1975 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1975.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...	2	Randy White Randy White (American football) Randall Lee "Randy" White is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker. He attended the University of Maryland from 1971 to 1974, and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame...  †	Maryland	Linebacker
	18	"Hollywood" Henderson *	Langston Langston University Langston University is an institution of higher learning located in Langston, Oklahoma, USA. It is the only historically black college in the state, and the westernmost historically black college in the United States...	Linebacker
1976 1976 NFL Draft The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...	27	Aaron Kyle Aaron Kyle Aaron Douglas Kyle is a former American Football cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos. He played at the prestigious Cass Technical High School graduating in 1974. He played college football at the University of Wyoming and was drafted in the...	Wyoming	Defensive Back Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
1977 1977 NFL Draft The 1977 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977...	2	Tony Dorsett Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...  †  (Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...  Winner)	Pittsburgh	Running back
1978 1978 NFL Draft The 1978 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978...	28	Larry Bethea Larry Bethea Larry Bethea was an American football defensive lineman who played six years in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He later played for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders and Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League...	Michigan State	Defensive End
1979 1979 NFL Draft The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979...	27	Robert Shaw Robert Shaw (American football) Robert Leslie Shaw is a retired American football center in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1979 to 1981. He played college football at the University of Tennessee. Mr. Shaw suffered a knee injury and had to stop playing football...	Tennessee	Center
1980 1980 NFL Draft The 1980 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...	—	— No Pick	—	—
1981 1981 NFL Draft The 1981 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981...	26	Howard Richards Howard Richards Howard Glenn Richards, Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. Richards was selected in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys out of the University of Missouri in the 1981 NFL Draft, 26th overall...	Missouri	Tackle
1982 1982 NFL Draft The 1982 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 27–28, 1982...	25	Rod Hill Rod Hill Rodrick Hill is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Detroit Lions, and the Los Angeles Raiders. After his NFL career he played five seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and still holds the career interception...	Kentucky State	Defensive Back
1983 1983 NFL Draft The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...	23	Jim Jeffcoat Jim Jeffcoat James Wilson Jeffcoat, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League. From 2008 to 2010 he served as defensive line coach for the Houston Cougars football team...	Arizona State	Defensive End
1984 1984 NFL Draft The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...	25	Billy Cannon, Jr. Billy Cannon, Jr. Billy Abb Cannon, Jr. is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys...	Texas A&M	Linebacker
1985 1985 NFL Draft The 1985 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985...	17	Kevin Brooks Kevin Brooks (American football) Kevin Craig Brooks is a former professional American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft....	Michigan	Defensive End
1986 1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986...	18	Mike Sherrard Mike Sherrard Michael Watson Sherrard is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'2" wide receiver from UCLA, Sherrard played in 11 NFL seasons from 1986 to 1996...	UCLA	Wide Receiver
1987 1987 NFL Draft The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...	12	Danny Noonan	Nebraska	Defensive Tackle
1988 1988 NFL Draft The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...	11	Michael Irvin Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...  †	Miami	Wide Receiver
1989 1989 NFL Draft The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...	1	Troy Aikman Troy Aikman Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...  †	UCLA	Quarterback
1990 1990 NFL Draft The 1990 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990...	17	Emmitt Smith Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...  †	Florida	Running back
1991 1991 NFL Draft The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...	1	Russell Maryland Russell Maryland Russell James Maryland is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Cowboys first overall in the 1991 NFL Draft...  *	Miami	Defensive Tackle
	12	Alvin Harper Alvin Harper Alvin Craig Harper is a former American football player in the National Football League. After going 1-15 in 1989 and 7-9 in 1990, the Dallas Cowboys were poised to capitalize on some key draft opportunities...	Tennessee	Wide Receiver
	20	Kelvin Pritchett Kelvin Pritchett Kelvin Pritchett was an American football defensive tackle.Pritchett was a first round selection by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1991 NFL Draft out of the University of Mississippi. However, Pritchett was traded to the Detroit Lions, who he played for, during 10 years and two stints with the team. He...	Mississippi	Defensive Tackle
1992 1992 NFL Draft The 1992 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft...	17	Kevin Smith Kevin Smith (cornerback) Kevin Rey Smith is a former professional American football player who played cornerback in the National Football League for nine seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.-High school career:...	Texas A&M	Defensive Back
	24	Robert Jones Robert Jones (American football) Robert Lee Jones is a former American football linebacker who played 10 seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the St...	South Carolina State	Linebacker
1993 1993 NFL Draft The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...	—	— No Pick	—	—
1994 1994 NFL Draft The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...	23	Shante Carver Shante Carver Shante Carver is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1994–1997, and later in the Arena Football League with the Dallas Desperados...	Arizona State	Defensive End
1995 1995 NFL Draft The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...	—	— No Pick	—	—
1996 1996 NFL Draft The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...	—	— No Pick	—	—
1997 1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...	22	David LaFleur David LaFleur David Alan LaFleur is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played from 1997 to 2000 for the Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted in the first round by the Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft. LaFleur played college football at Louisiana State University...	LSU	Tight End
1998 1998 NFL Draft The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...	8	Greg Ellis *	UNC	Defensive End
1999 1999 NFL Draft The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...	20	Ebenezer Ekuban Ebenezer Ekuban Ebenezer Ekuban, Jr. is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys 20th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...	UNC	Defensive End
2000 2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...	—	— No Pick	—	—
2001 2001 NFL Draft The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...	—	— No Pick	—	—
2002 2002 NFL Draft The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...	8	Roy Williams Roy Williams (safety) Roy Lee Williams is a retired American football safety. He played college football at Oklahoma before he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys eighth overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Cowboys and earned five straight Pro Bowl selections from 2003–2007...  *	Oklahoma	Safety
2003 2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...	5	Terence Newman Terence Newman Terence Newman is a starting American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. He played in the 2008 pro-bowl and has 32 interceptions in his career....  *	Kansas State	Cornerback
2004 2004 NFL Draft The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...	—	— No Pick	—	—	The Cowboys traded this first round selection (22nd overall) to the Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...  for Bills' second round selection (43rd overall), fifth round selection (144th overall), and first round selection in 2005.
2005 2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...	11	DeMarcus Ware Demarcus Ware DeMarcus Ware is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Troy University...  *	Troy State	Linebacker
	20	Marcus Spears Marcus Spears (defensive end) For the offensive lineman, see Marcus Spears .Marcus Raishonie Spears is an American football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League...	Louisiana State	Defensive End	The Cowboys received this selection from the Buffalo Bills as well as the Bills' selections in 2004 in the second (43rd overall) and fifth rounds (144th overall) for the Cowboys' first round selection in 2004 (22nd overall).
2006 2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...	18	Bobby Carpenter Bobby Carpenter (American football) Robert J. Carpenter III is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State.Carpenter has also played for the St...	Ohio State	Linebacker
2007 2007 NFL Draft The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...	26	Anthony Spencer Anthony Spencer Anthony E. Spencer II is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys 26th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-High school career:Spencer played high school football at Bishop Luers High...	Purdue	Linebacker	Dallas traded their original first round selection (22nd overall) to the Cleveland Browns for the Browns' first round selection in 2008 and the Browns' second round selection (36th overall) in this draft. Dallas then traded that additional second round selection (32nd overall), their third round selection (87th overall), and their fifth round selection (159th overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...  for the Eagles' first round selection (26th overall).
2008 2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...	22	Felix Jones Felix Jones Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...	Arkansas	Running Back	The Cowboys received this selection from the Cleveland Browns as well as the Browns' second round selection (36th overall) in 2007 for the Cowboys first round selection in 2007 (22nd overall).
	25	Mike Jenkins Mike Jenkins Mike Patrick Jenkins is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League...  *	South Florida	Cornerback	Dallas received this selection from the Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...  for Dallas' original first-round selection (28th overall) and Dallas' fifth- and seventh-round selections (163rd and 235th).
2009 2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...	—	— No Pick	—	—	The Cowboys traded their 20th overall pick (first round), the 82nd overall picks (third round), and 192nd overall pick (sixth round) in the 2009 draft for wide receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...  Roy Williams Roy Williams (wide receiver) Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...  from the Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... . The Cowboys received a seventh round pick from the Lions in the 2010 draft.
2010 2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...	24	Dez Bryant Dez Bryant - 2010 - Rookie Season :Bryant was signed by the Cowboys to a contract very similar to that of Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin on July 22, 2010. On July 23, 2010, it was announced that Bryant will wear number 88, the same as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Cowboys legend Drew Pearson...	Oklahoma State	Wide Receiver	Dallas traded their original first round and third round selection (27th and 90th overall) to the New England Patriots for the Patriots' first round selection and a fourth-round selection in 2010 to select Dez Bryant over the Baltimore Ravens.
2011 2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...	9	Tyron Smith	USC	Offensive Tackle