News: DMN: The 10 greatest draft steals in Dallas Cowboys history

[CF74]

I don't think that you can call a guy taken with the second overall pick of the draft a "draft steal"

Didn't we trade up to get him?

 

[jazzcat22]

Didn't we trade up to get him?

Dallas traded their 1st round pick which was the 24th pick, and I think 2 or 3, 2nd round picks to move up to #2 overall.

imagine if JJ did that....LOL...

If you are referring to Tony Dorsett that is.

 

[jazzcat22]

Didn't we trade up to get him?

From Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Dorsett

Dorsett was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the second overall pick the 1977 NFL draft. The Cowboys traded the 24th pick in the draft and three second-round choices to the Seattle Seahawks to move up to take Dorsett.[9] Dorsett signed a five-year contract for a reported $1.1 million. It was the second largest contract signed for a rookie. Ricky Bell beat Dorsett with a contract the same year as the first round draft pick for $1.2 million.[10][11][12][13] Dorsett played with the Cowboys through the 1987 season.

In Dorsett's rookie year, he rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns and won the Rookie of the Year honors. Dorsett was announced the starter in the tenth game of the Cowboys' season, and he would stay the starter for many years. Dorsett was the first player to win the college football championship one year, then win the Super Bowl the next, when the Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 27–10 to win Super Bowl XII. In his sophomore season, 1978, Dorsett recorded 1,325 yards and nine touchdowns. The Cowboys once again made the Super Bowl, and lost 35–31 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII.

Dorsett's most productive season was in 1981, when he recorded 1,646 yards breaking the Cowboys franchise record.

 

[muck4doo]

From Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Dorsett

Dorsett was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the second overall pick the 1977 NFL draft. The Cowboys traded the 24th pick in the draft and three second-round choices to the Seattle Seahawks to move up to take Dorsett.[9] Dorsett signed a five-year contract for a reported $1.1 million. It was the second largest contract signed for a rookie. Ricky Bell beat Dorsett with a contract the same year as the first round draft pick for $1.2 million.[10][11][12][13] Dorsett played with the Cowboys through the 1987 season.

In Dorsett's rookie year, he rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns and won the Rookie of the Year honors. Dorsett was announced the starter in the tenth game of the Cowboys' season, and he would stay the starter for many years. Dorsett was the first player to win the college football championship one year, then win the Super Bowl the next, when the Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 27–10 to win Super Bowl XII. In his sophomore season, 1978, Dorsett recorded 1,325 yards and nine touchdowns. The Cowboys once again made the Super Bowl, and lost 35–31 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII.

Dorsett's most productive season was in 1981, when he recorded 1,646 yards breaking the Cowboys franchise record.

Poor Ricky Bell had a short life.

 

[CF74]

Dallas traded their 1st round pick which was the 24th pick, and I think 2 or 3, 2nd round picks to move up to #2 overall.

imagine if JJ did that....LOL...

If you are referring to Tony Dorsett that is.

Yep we stole him from Seattle.

 

[TwoDeep3]

No possible way I put Witten above Bob Hayes.

Love Witten and think he was a steal. But Witten didn't change the game of football.

Bob Hayes and his speed changed defenses forever.

 

[Nova]

Sorry, i cant consider a 2nd round draft pick to be a steal. We are talking about a player that is understood to be a top 50 college player in the nation.

And if you are going to call a 3rd round player a steal then you can certainly start with Jason Witten but it certainly doesnt end there:

Other 3rd round steals:

Harvey Martin: probably the Cowboys leading sacker before they were recorded, SB co-MVP

Charlie Waters, PRO Bowl safety

And:

DeMarco Murray, the "average back" whose first ever start broke the Cowboys single game rushing record. First Cowboy since Emmitt to record back to back 1000 yard season, the last one broke the Cowboys single season record.

But here are the real steals:
Tony Dorsett
Randy White
Ed Jones

Yes, they were all either #1 or #2 overall. But how does a team with 20 consecutive winning seasons get these three picks within a 6 year span?
Did they have to sacrifice a half dozen premium picks? Hardly.

They got Jones #1 overall when they traded underacheiving DE Tody Smith to the Oilers for their #1 pick. After which they tanked the season. Same goes for Randy White for Craig Morton to the Giants. They got Dorsett with a bunch of spare picks and 3rd tier players.

Here are the late round steals that were not mentioned.

Larry Cole 16th round
Jethro Pugh 11th round
Herb Scott 13th round
Dennis Thurman 11th round

The first twi were ten year starters that played in 4 Super Bowls. Scott was a three time Pro Bowl Guard.Thurman was the leader of the most prolific D backfield in Cowboy history.

Very nice post

 

[jazzcat22]

Yep we stole him from Seattle.

Half of Seattle's team was from ex-Cowboys from the 1st year and up through the 3rd or 4th year or even 5th year of their existence. Jim Zorn was released by Dallas, as well as what seemed like half of their team over that time span.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Sorry, i cant consider a 2nd round draft pick to be a steal. We are talking about a player that is understood to be a top 50 college player in the nation.

For Larry Allen, I'd say that was a steal. For what he accomplished.

 

[KJJ]

Poor Ricky Bell had a short life.

Had Tampa drafted Dorsett he may have had a short NFL life can't imagine he would have had near the success with the Bucs. They wanted the bigger back in Bell which turned into a huge break for Dorsett and the Cowboys.

 

[jobberone]

Walker has a legit argument as well. Not just for where he was drafted but also his career and bounty the team received for him.

Wasn't drafted by us.

 

[KJJ]

Wasn't drafted by us.

We used a 5th round pick on him in the 1985 draft.

 

[jobberone]

We used a 5th round pick on him in the 1985 draft.

But he wasn't drafted by us.

 

[KJJ]

But he wasn't drafted by us.

He was drafted by us.

The Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, suspecting that the USFL was not going to last, acquired Walker's NFL rights by drafting him in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker

 

[jobberone]

He was drafted by us.

The Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, suspecting that the USFL was not going to last, acquired Walker's NFL rights by drafting him in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker

But he wasn't drafted by us. We merely used a pick. We tried to draft him. In the days before the merger teams would use their R1 on a player who then went to another team in another league. They didn't draft him; they selected him to draft.

Drafting someone means they are compelled to work for you or do a job for you.

 

[endersdragon]

I know he hadn't played football for years... but considering he was obviously still physically fit it's amazing that Staubach who was still in his mid 20s was passed over 128 times...

 

[KJJ]

But he wasn't drafted by us. We merely used a pick. We tried to draft him. In the days before the merger teams would use their R1 on a player who then went to another team in another league. They didn't draft him; they selected him to draft.

Drafting someone means they are compelled to work for you or do a job for you.

Don't know why you keep arguing this the Cowboys drafted Walker with a 5th round pick to secure his rights in the event the USFL folded. Once the USFL folded he was ours because we drafted him during the 1985 draft. You can try spinning it anyway you want but he was still drafted by the Cowboys.

 

[KJJ]

Drafting someone means they are compelled to work for you or do a job for you.

Walker was compelled to work for the Cowboys because they "drafted" him securing his rights. If he didn't want to play for the Cowboys he was stuck unless they traded his rights.

 

[KJJ]

The Cowboys drafting Walker in the 5th round of the 85 draft to secure his rights was exactly what the team did with Roger Staubach in the 1964 draft. When the Cowboys saw Staubach was still available in the 10th round they drafted him to secure his rights until he fulfilled his military commitment. He like Walker had no choice but to play for the Cowboys once they drafted him unless they wanted to play in Canada. It's pretty simple to understand that once a team drafts a player they have to play for that team unless that team trades their rights.

 

[tyke1doe]

Yes, but Staubach would have been a 1st round pick. But his navy commitment kept teams away, except Dallas of course. Same for Walker, he was in the USFL, so teams stayed away. We traded to get a 5th round pick from Houston, and selected him. That alone should go as a top 10. Then what did that eventually turned in to, even a better deal.
Same thing in my book.

I was thinking Walker being traded to the Vikings not Walker who was picked in the 5th round by the Cowboys. Walker went on to help establish the Cowboy dynasty by being traded to Minnesota.

I stand corrected. Thanks.