Some of the Thoughts That Run Through an Oversized, Bald Head:
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Everyone loves what-ifs in terms of going back to previous NFL Drafts. Perhaps the most memorable one of the last 15 or so years is that supposedly at least half of the league's general managers would've taken Ryan Leaf in favor of Peyton Manning back in 1998. What a bizarre top-4 that was, huh? Manning will obviously be a Hall of Famer. Leaf was arguably the biggest bust in the history of the draft, finishing with a 50.0 rating, 36 interceptions and 14 TD passes. The third pick was defensive end Andre Wadsworth, who played a grand total of 36 games and registered eight sacks. However, the No. 4 pick was Charles Woodson, who is also destined for Canton, possibly a first-year inductee like Manning. That was also the memorable Randy Moss draft, as he dropped to 21st because of non-football related issues.
Likely four Hall of Famers from that year, with Moss and Hines Ward likely to join the aforementioned in the hallowed halls. Solid year for the Cowboys, too, at least at the top with Greg Ellis in the first and Flozell Adams in the second. That's 344 combined games of quality production and six Pro Bowl nods. Any team in this year's draft would take that with their first two picks right here and now.
Speaking of Adams, the Steelers have made it known they would love for him to return this season. And yes, there's going to be a season. Promise. And it'll be 16 games, too.
Anyhow, where we? Easily distracted, especially during March Madness, which leads into the two best days of the year, Saturday and Sunday at the Masters.
Sorry. Okay, here we go. Going back in time, to each of the 50 drafts in Cowboys franchise history (they didn't participate in 1960) and seeing who, in retrospect, would've, could've, should've made for a more productive pick. Now, to play this little fantasy game, one needs to be somewhat realistic. In the midst of the Roger Staubach Era, no one can fault the brass for not taking Dan Fouts. Also, we're not going to blame Gil Brandt and Tex Schramm for missing on a late-round pick when we're talking first round, i.e. looking back, no one can criticize the other 31 teams for not taking Tom Brady when the Patriots themselves waited until the sixth round and the 199th overall pick in 2000.
For years when the Cowboys didn't have a first-round pick, we'll just use their first selection. Here we go, we'll break this into two parts, the first 25 this week, the remainder to be posted Friday March 25.
1961: Drafted: DT Bob Lilly at No. 13. Should've: Arguably the most brilliant pick in team history, especially since the team traded up with the Cleveland Browns less than a minute before tabbing Lilly. Few realize Dallas drafted another Pro Football Hall of Famer in its inaugural effort, that being guard Billy Shaw in the 14th round, but he signed with the Buffalo Bills of the AFL.
1962: Drafted: QB Sonny Gibbs in the second round, No. 18 overall. Should've: While this was obviously not the best of efforts with Gibbs completing one career pass for three years, this draft was about as deep as a Smurf's bathtub. Linebacker Bill Saul was taken later in the second, he would've been the best option, but wanting to take a quarterback because they were still unsure of Don Meredith's long-term potential and knowing Eddie LeBaron was closing in on retirement, the options were limited. The only other signal callers taken in the second and third-rounds were Eddie Wilson and John Furman. Exactly.
1963: Drafted: LB Lee Roy Jordan at No. 6. Should've: A pair of Hall of Famers was taken in the second round, LB Bobby Bell - who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL - and TE John Mackey, respectively, but Jordan was the undisputed team leader for more than a decade and a brilliant selection. Many believe that he, too, should be in Canton.
1964: Drafted: LB Scott Appleton at No. 4. Should've: The Cowboys dealt Appleton, a Texas product, to Pittsburgh for wide receiver Buddy Dial, who caught 42 balls in three seasons with Dallas, so the pick definitely wasn't put to good use. DE Carl Eller was taken two picks after the Cowboys and ended up in the Hall of Fame, so yeah, he was the obvious should've. Then again, Brandt more than made up for this by taking his own Canton-bound defender in cornerback Mel Renfro in the second round.
1965: Drafted: QB Craig Morton at No. 6. Should've: Not entirely sure why quarterback deemed a need here, outside of Tom Landry's early obsession with alternating snaps behind center. On that front, Morton was the best pick far and away, even if some may see Joe Namath was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals later in the first round. That wasn't the smartest of picks, though, as everyone knew he was signing with the New York Jets, or he would've been taken No. 1. Three future Pro Bowlers (RB Donny Anderson, WR Jack Snow and LB Mike Curtis) were taken after Morton in the first round, but if Landry wanted a quarterback, Morton was the smart selection.
1966: Drafted: G John Niland at No. 5. Should've: One of the most important picks in team history. Along with Ralph Neely, Niland was responsible for Meredith finally having enough time to release the football before finding himself face-planted on the nearest patch of grass and/or dirt. And the only Hall of Famer taken in the draft was three picks earlier in offensive tackle Tom Mack.
1967: Drafted: DB Phil Clark in the third round, No. 76 overall. Should've: Trading their first and second-round picks, along with two fifth-round selections, for the rights to Neely proved most genius, no second-guessing whatsoever. As for Clark, he was serviceable for three years and by that point, three picks from Round 4, it's all guesswork anyway, especially back then. Speaking of which, Dallas snagged Pro Football Hall of Fame OT Rayfield Wright, as a defensive end, in the seventh round.
1968: Drafted: WR Dennis Homan at No. 20. Should've: After catching 23 passes for 437 yards and a touchdown in three seasons, the Homan Era came to an abrupt conclusion. Then again, the only player named to a single Pro Bowl who was selected between the 16th and 48th overall picks was DE Curley Culp at No. 31, so there wasn't much for the taking. But inexplicably, almost shockingly so, three Pro Football Hall of Famers (TE Charlie Sanders, DE Elvin Bethea and OT Art Shell) were selected within the span of seven picks late in the third round.
1969: Drafted: RB Calvin Hill at No. 24. Should've: While Don Perkins wouldn't officially announce his retirement until the summer, his intentions were no secret, so finding a back was top priority. And considering the ones (Bill Enyard, Paul Gipson) taken almost immediately after Hill, who earned AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, this was a Mickey Mantle-like home run.
1970: Drafted: RB Duane Thomas at No. 23. Should've: Shows how solid the Cowboys were elsewhere to take a running back in consecutive first rounds and again, while three Pro Bowlers (TE Raymond Chester, WR Ron Shanklin and DT Lee Brooks) were taken within the next eight picks and Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount was the first selection of the third round, Thomas, in the words of Bob Lilly, "was the next Jim Brown." Alas … still, he should've been named Super Bowl VI MVP, so solid pick at least in the short-term.
1971: Drafted: DE Tody Smith at No. 25. Should've: The brother of Pro Bowler and Police Academy star Bubba Smith didn't quite pan out, playing in just 17 games with Dallas. There was a plethora of front-seven talent taken in the second round, including DT Julius Adams two picks after Smith and Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Dan Dierdorf at Nos. 34 and 43, respectively.
1972: Drafted: RB Bill Thomas at No. 26. Should've: The last pick of the first round returned two kicks for the Cowboys in seven games. Yeah, that was it. This may rank as the No. 1 bust in terms of first-round selections. Luckily, Brandt and company redeemed themselves by tabbing FB Robert Newhouse nine picks later. Two Pro Bowl running backs were also taken in the second round, Jim Bertelsen and Lydell Mitchell.
1973: Drafted: TE Billy Joe DuPree at No. 20. Should've: What a first-round, with 10 of the first 12 picks earning Pro Bowl nods and 15-of-26 overall, including DePree, one of the most underappreciated players in franchise history. No second-guessing here in the least, although it's worth mentioning Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure was taken six picks after DuPree and would've been the perfect replacement when Niland departed the following year.
1974: Drafted: DE Ed "Too Tall" Jones at No. 1. Should've: There were five eventual Hall of Famers taken in this draft, but none before WR Lynn Swann late in the first and his enshrinement can be debated as easily as any. This was hands down the right pick for Dallas and many teammates and fans feel Jones should be among the all-time immortals in the Ring of Honor.
1975: Drafted: DE Randy White at No. 2. Should've: In the weeks leading up to the draft, then-offensive coordinator Dan Reeves would write on Landry's blackboard a single name: "Payton." The offensive brass wanted Walter Payton. In the end, Brandt won out and the selection was White, with Payton going to the Bears at No. 4. As Reeves said last year, "Guess that kind of worked out for both teams, huh?"
1976: Drafted: DB Aaron Kyle at No. 27. Should've: Always a little more difficult picking at the bottom of the round, but the Cowboys were just fine with that considering the tradeoff. Kyle wasn't bad, started for three years, had six picks before landing with Denver. A better selection would've been Texas A&M product Pat Thomas, also a cornerback, who was a two-time All-Pro with the Rams, who took him at No. 39 overall.
1977: Drafted: RB Tony Dorsett at No. 2. Should've: According to Brandt, the one and only sure thing in his 29 years of evaluating the NFL Draft. The Cowboys dealt up and landed their man. Dorsett is the only player from this draft in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1978: Drafted: DL Larry Bethea at No. 28. Should've: Somewhat of a miss, although Bethea ended up struggling with off-the-field issues which contributed to his downfall on the field. The better pick would've been DE Al Baker, a three-time Pro Bowl who went 12 selections after Bethea. Dallas tabbed FB-TE Todd Christensen in the second round, but released him after an injury in the preseason. He, of course, would become a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro with the Raiders, where he also won two Super Bowls and led the NFL in receptions in 1983 and 1986.
1979: Drafted: C Robert Shaw at No. 27. Should've: While Shaw never materialized, he was starting in 1981 before a career-ending knee injury, so can't blame the Cowboys on this one. Dallas took Pro Bowl TE Doug Cosbie in the third round, five picks before San Francisco tabbed Joe Montana.
1980: Drafted: LB Bill Roe in the third round, No. 78 overall. Should've: The Cowboys dealt their first and second-round picks for DT John Dutton, who played 117 games with the Cowboys, so not a bad trade. Roe lasted one season, but there wasn't much talent remaining by late in the third round.
1981: Drafted: T Howard Richards at No. 26. Should've: Not a complete swing and a miss, but pretty much the slightest of foul tips, with Richards starting for just a season. This was made all the worse by an absolutely loaded second round, arguably the best of the last 40 years. Some 12 Pro Bowlers and three Hall of Famers were taken, including LB Mike Singletary, who played at nearby Baylor no less, DT Howie Long and LB Rickey Jackson. If nothing else, each were already off the board when Dallas took WR Doug Donley at No. 53. Another Canton resident, G Russ Grimm was taken in the third round.
1982: Drafted: CB Rod Hill at No. 26. Should've: Most definitely not amongst "Thurman's Thieves," Hill played 23 games with the Cowboys, zero starts, and intercepted two passes. He is the career interceptions record holder of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, so he has that going for him, which is nice. This was a pretty weak draft for cornerbacks so this was a reach by Brandt based on position. Hall of Fame LB Andre Tippett and four other Pro Bowlers were picks in the second round, including WR Mark Duper.
1983: Drafted: DE Jim Jeffcoat at No. 23. Should've: Easily, far and away, by leaps and bounds of Bob Beamon himself, this was the team's best first-round selection from Dorsett in 1977 to Michael Irvin in 1988. This should fully illuminate how bad the majority of those selections were, considering Jeffcoat, a consummate pro and team leader, was never named to a Pro Bowl. This was one of the deepest drafts in league history, with Canton-bound Dan Marino and Darrell Green the last two picks of the first round. All told, this draft included 40 Pro Bowlers and thus far, seven Hall of Famers.
1984: Drafted: LB Billy Cannon at No. 25. Should've: A spinal injury ended Cannon's career after just eight games so it's somewhat unfair to classify this one as a bust. Not a strong draft, either, although each of the two picks after Cannon became Pro Bowlers in RB Greg Bell and G William Roberts.
1985: Drafted: DE Kevin Brooks at No. 17. Should've: The selection previous to Brooks was WR Jerry Rice, who supposedly was on the Cowboys' board. Brooks registered 12.5 sacks in four seasons. To its credit, Dallas did secure the rights to RB Herschel Walker by drafting the USFL star in the fifth round. That would pay dividends on multiple levels going forward.
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