Who Remembers The Cowboys' dead era drafting : 1978-1987

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Who Remembers The Cowboys’ dead era drafting : 1978-1987

What happened to the genius of Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt and Tom Landry after 1977? They drove the team into the mud, deep mud. The team’s talent level took a nosedive galore. here is my report and analysis:

1978 1st round: Larry Bethea DE Michigan State, big bust; 2nd round FB Todd Christiansen, whom refused to play TE and Boys unloaded him; he went on to a great TE caree; 3rd-5th rounders were all busts.

1979 1st round Robert Shaw center. Drafted as very undersized, but who bulked up, played well in1980 and blew out a knee and was done in 1981. 2nd rounder CB Aaron Mitchell, highly touted as a rookie, burned out. He nicknamed ”AM/PM,” when he hit you it was daylight, afterwards you were knocked out and it was dark. 3rd round: Joe Montana was still on the board, Cowboys knew he had magic, but felt comfortable that Roger would play a few more years, Danny White was sensational as a backup and the team picked Glen Carano in 1978 as a 2nd rounder. The Boys made an excellent pick in TE Doug Cosbie, but missed out on Hall of Famer and winner Joe Montana.

1980 1st and 2nd rounders went for trade of John Dutton. 3rd rounders LB Bill Roe and RB James Jones busts

1981 1st round Howard Richards OT, never started, a complete waste. 2nd rounder Ohio State WR Doug Donley was decent 3rd receiver for a few years, 3rd rounder G Glenn Titensor was a decent guard; 7th rounder Ron Fellows was a great catch, starting at RCB for several years;

1982 Rod Hill, CB, KR, a horrific, awful pick. Super dud. Worst 1st rounder in history. 2nd rounder Jeff Rohrer from Yale was a mediocre LB for several years. Rest of draft was a waste, including 5th rounder RT Phil Pozderac, the worst RT in Cowboys’ history.

1983 Jim Jeffcoat, DE, Arizona State, the pick who was worth it. Boys tried to trade to get Elway. They knew Danny White did not have it. But remaining of picks were a waste for Boys, except 2nd rounder LB Mike Walter was cut after one year and became a star for the 49ers.

1984 1st rounder Billy Cannon LB, Tex A & M, a great pick on paper, showed enormous talent, but had a terrible neck spine injury which wiped out his career. 5th round QB Steve Pelluer was an unpolished QB, who was given chance to replace Danny White, but failed. Victor Scott was a decent safety taken in 2nd round; 6th rounder LB Euge Lockhart started at MLB for several years and made a ton of tackles, was a fan favorite, but Jimmy Johnson believed he was too slow and got rid of him in 1989.

1985 Kevin Brooks, DE/DT Michigan So much talent, so much ability to dominate, was Big 10 defensive MVP; had dominated the University of Miami great offense; looked like perennial All-Pro to come. HUGE BUST!!!!! 2nd round LB Jesse Penn looked like a great find, then broke a leg and he was done; 3rd rounder G Crawford Kerr was a solid pick and started many years on OL; 5th rounder was a futures pick for USFL star RB Herschel Walker, a tremendous selection. Rest of draft terrible.

1986 15 draft picks, #1 was Mike Sherrard, WR, UCLA. sub 4.3 speed, but brittle as an old piece of wood. His bones shattered too often. Team had to draft Michael Irvin in 1988. Rest of draft produced nothing other than mediocre back-up TE Thornton Chandler.

1987 This was the year the Boys said they made corrections to the manner of their drafting and promised better results. 1st rounder Danny Noonan, NG/DT, Nebraska. A no-brainer to most fans and scouts, they called him a freak and heir to the legendary Randy White. He was a creature of steroids, had great size, speed ratio, but was never above average, a big disappointment. He helped seal the demise of the Brandt/Schramm/Landry. 2nd rounder Ron Francis, a CB, became a starter but could not cover well at all. 4th rounder Kelvin Martin was a big-time performer as a 3rd receiver and great punt returner for many years. 8th rounder Kevin Gogan at his RT position was a bust, but great at RG, won Super Bowl as starter, then left as a free agent and became a perennial All-Pro

1988 was the year of redemption to try to save their hides, Schramm and Brandt suddenly on their last wind went smart, Michael Irvin #1 and LB Ken Norton #2, arguably, the best #1-2 picks in Cowboys history. Aikman The Moose in 1989 also great. Rest of draft were busts except futures selection in Chad Hennings in 11th round, the Air Force pilot, who led the nation in sacks at Air Force Academy in 1987. He came to the boys in 1992. He was the DT pass rusher in the Steelers’ QB’s face that led to Larry Brown’s 2nd Super Bowl 1996 INT.
 
That dead period ultimately led the demise of the old regime. Everyone had caught up to what the Cowboys were doing. We had a number of top picks not pan out due to injury or not being very good players. By the mid 80s the Cowboys talent had fallen way off.
 
1988 was the year of redemption to try to save their hides, Schramm and Brandt suddenly on their last wind went smart, Michael Irvin #1 and LB Ken Norton #2, arguably, the best #1-2 picks in Cowboys history. Aikman The Moose in 1989 also great.
I would put Aikman and Moose ahead of Irvin and Norton. Back to back years with great first and second round picks.
 
I would put Aikman and Moose ahead of Irvin and Norton. Back to back years with great first and second round picks.
Maybe , I don't know all our drafts, but I can tell you this in 2020 we got lamb and Diggs back to back..Biadsz in the 4th but as far as going one and two that has to be up there I mean lamb and digs I know people don't respect digs but you're talking about two starting key position players.

As far as recent drafts go it's kind of crazy people don't look at 2022 and see how solid from top to bottom that whole draft was really...not too bad a haul

1Tyler Smith24OL20240232547000000100Tulsa
20222Sam Williams56DE202300043200000008.5Mississippi
20223Jalen Tolbert88WR2024001742000000738909South Alabama
20224Jake Ferguson129TE2024012154700000014914297Wisconsin
20225Matt Waletzko155OL20240000110000000North Dakota
20225DaRon Bland167DB20241111941000000014Fresno St.
20225Damone Clark176LB2024001134100000000.5LSU
20225John Ridgeway178DT20240006450000000Arkansas
20226Devin Harper
 
Who Remembers The Cowboys’ dead era drafting : 1978-1987

What happened to the genius of Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt and Tom Landry after 1977? They drove the team into the mud, deep mud. The team’s talent level took a nosedive galore. here is my report and analysis:

1978 1st round: Larry Bethea DE Michigan State, big bust; 2nd round FB Todd Christiansen, whom refused to play TE and Boys unloaded him; he went on to a great TE caree; 3rd-5th rounders were all busts.

1979 1st round Robert Shaw center. Drafted as very undersized, but who bulked up, played well in1980 and blew out a knee and was done in 1981. 2nd rounder CB Aaron Mitchell, highly touted as a rookie, burned out. He nicknamed ”AM/PM,” when he hit you it was daylight, afterwards you were knocked out and it was dark. 3rd round: Joe Montana was still on the board, Cowboys knew he had magic, but felt comfortable that Roger would play a few more years, Danny White was sensational as a backup and the team picked Glen Carano in 1978 as a 2nd rounder. The Boys made an excellent pick in TE Doug Cosbie, but missed out on Hall of Famer and winner Joe Montana.

1980 1st and 2nd rounders went for trade of John Dutton. 3rd rounders LB Bill Roe and RB James Jones busts

1981 1st round Howard Richards OT, never started, a complete waste. 2nd rounder Ohio State WR Doug Donley was decent 3rd receiver for a few years, 3rd rounder G Glenn Titensor was a decent guard; 7th rounder Ron Fellows was a great catch, starting at RCB for several years;

1982 Rod Hill, CB, KR, a horrific, awful pick. Super dud. Worst 1st rounder in history. 2nd rounder Jeff Rohrer from Yale was a mediocre LB for several years. Rest of draft was a waste, including 5th rounder RT Phil Pozderac, the worst RT in Cowboys’ history.

1983 Jim Jeffcoat, DE, Arizona State, the pick who was worth it. Boys tried to trade to get Elway. They knew Danny White did not have it. But remaining of picks were a waste for Boys, except 2nd rounder LB Mike Walter was cut after one year and became a star for the 49ers.

1984 1st rounder Billy Cannon LB, Tex A & M, a great pick on paper, showed enormous talent, but had a terrible neck spine injury which wiped out his career. 5th round QB Steve Pelluer was an unpolished QB, who was given chance to replace Danny White, but failed. Victor Scott was a decent safety taken in 2nd round; 6th rounder LB Euge Lockhart started at MLB for several years and made a ton of tackles, was a fan favorite, but Jimmy Johnson believed he was too slow and got rid of him in 1989.

1985 Kevin Brooks, DE/DT Michigan So much talent, so much ability to dominate, was Big 10 defensive MVP; had dominated the University of Miami great offense; looked like perennial All-Pro to come. HUGE BUST!!!!! 2nd round LB Jesse Penn looked like a great find, then broke a leg and he was done; 3rd rounder G Crawford Kerr was a solid pick and started many years on OL; 5th rounder was a futures pick for USFL star RB Herschel Walker, a tremendous selection. Rest of draft terrible.

1986 15 draft picks, #1 was Mike Sherrard, WR, UCLA. sub 4.3 speed, but brittle as an old piece of wood. His bones shattered too often. Team had to draft Michael Irvin in 1988. Rest of draft produced nothing other than mediocre back-up TE Thornton Chandler.

1987 This was the year the Boys said they made corrections to the manner of their drafting and promised better results. 1st rounder Danny Noonan, NG/DT, Nebraska. A no-brainer to most fans and scouts, they called him a freak and heir to the legendary Randy White. He was a creature of steroids, had great size, speed ratio, but was never above average, a big disappointment. He helped seal the demise of the Brandt/Schramm/Landry. 2nd rounder Ron Francis, a CB, became a starter but could not cover well at all. 4th rounder Kelvin Martin was a big-time performer as a 3rd receiver and great punt returner for many years. 8th rounder Kevin Gogan at his RT position was a bust, but great at RG, won Super Bowl as starter, then left as a free agent and became a perennial All-Pro

1988 was the year of redemption to try to save their hides, Schramm and Brandt suddenly on their last wind went smart, Michael Irvin #1 and LB Ken Norton #2, arguably, the best #1-2 picks in Cowboys history. Aikman The Moose in 1989 also great. Rest of draft were busts except futures selection in Chad Hennings in 11th round, the Air Force pilot, who led the nation in sacks at Air Force Academy in 1987. He came to the boys in 1992. He was the DT pass rusher in the Steelers’ QB’s face that led to Larry Brown’s 2nd Super Bowl 1996 INT.
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing. Consecutive drafts like that will do the trick, sort of which we are seeing now. Also back then ignoring free agency wasnt a strategy, it didn’t exist. You drafted well or you lost.

I’m a Cowboys fan almost entirely because of Coach Landry, but at the time it was clear we needed new blood. Too bad he didn’t own the team…in which case he could have failed forever and hung around as long as he wanted to. Maybe hire all his unqualified kids.

Veering slightly off topic, I find it interesting that many key parts of those early 90s teams got here before Jimmy came in. He indeed kept the right ones but the cupboard wasn’t as bare as generally thought, and Aikman was in his lap….or was it “GM”Jerry that was building that roster? Hysterical to me when anyone suggests Jerry did anything for those teams besides write a check.
 
they were having better success with finding quality undrafted f/a's...
cb everson walls
s michael downs
s bill bates
db dexter clinkscale
lb anthony dickerson
dl/ol mark tuinei...originally started on dline...then switched to oline because of injuries.
 
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This coincided with when the draft moved to the spring. It used to be in January up until 1976. The 1976 draft was a so so one for the Cowboys (Aaron Kyle was the first rounder, they also got Butch Johnson and Tom Rafferty in this draft). In 1977, the trade up for Tony Dorsett with the Seahawks got them a HOF player and a huge key to back to back Super Bowl appearances. They also got Tony Hill, Guy Brown, Andy Frederick and Dave Stalls in this draft, which was the last real good draft that Gil Brandt led. After this, with the extra prep time that the league had for the draft, the league was more in tune with the small school players that Brandt used to find, and the Cowboys didn't adapt.
 
Don’t forget they passed on Joe Montana, because they had Danny White. And selected Doug Cosbie.
 
Don’t forget they passed on Joe Montana, because they had Danny White. And selected Doug Cosbie.
They passed on Montana because of Glenn Carano, not White. They had selected Carano in the second round in 1977.
 
Don’t forget they passed on Joe Montana, because they had Danny White. And selected Doug Cosbie.
They passed on Aaron Rodgers twice in the first round because we had Drew Bledsoe. At that point in his career, he was a transitional QB. His best days were behind him.
 
Randy White and Thomas Henderson where a pretty good first two picks. But I think both were 1st round picks.
 
Randy White and Thomas Henderson where a pretty good first two picks. But I think both were 1st round picks.
Yes both 1st rnd picks. Toddzilla would up being a fantastic TE for the Raiders, did not want to make that move with us.
 
Who Remembers The Cowboys’ dead era drafting : 1978-1987

What happened to the genius of Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt and Tom Landry after 1977? They drove the team into the mud, deep mud. The team’s talent level took a nosedive galore. here is my report and analysis:

1978 1st round: Larry Bethea DE Michigan State, big bust; 2nd round FB Todd Christiansen, whom refused to play TE and Boys unloaded him; he went on to a great TE caree; 3rd-5th rounders were all busts.

1979 1st round Robert Shaw center. Drafted as very undersized, but who bulked up, played well in1980 and blew out a knee and was done in 1981. 2nd rounder CB Aaron Mitchell, highly touted as a rookie, burned out. He nicknamed ”AM/PM,” when he hit you it was daylight, afterwards you were knocked out and it was dark. 3rd round: Joe Montana was still on the board, Cowboys knew he had magic, but felt comfortable that Roger would play a few more years, Danny White was sensational as a backup and the team picked Glen Carano in 1978 as a 2nd rounder. The Boys made an excellent pick in TE Doug Cosbie, but missed out on Hall of Famer and winner Joe Montana.

1980 1st and 2nd rounders went for trade of John Dutton. 3rd rounders LB Bill Roe and RB James Jones busts

1981 1st round Howard Richards OT, never started, a complete waste. 2nd rounder Ohio State WR Doug Donley was decent 3rd receiver for a few years, 3rd rounder G Glenn Titensor was a decent guard; 7th rounder Ron Fellows was a great catch, starting at RCB for several years;

1982 Rod Hill, CB, KR, a horrific, awful pick. Super dud. Worst 1st rounder in history. 2nd rounder Jeff Rohrer from Yale was a mediocre LB for several years. Rest of draft was a waste, including 5th rounder RT Phil Pozderac, the worst RT in Cowboys’ history.

1983 Jim Jeffcoat, DE, Arizona State, the pick who was worth it. Boys tried to trade to get Elway. They knew Danny White did not have it. But remaining of picks were a waste for Boys, except 2nd rounder LB Mike Walter was cut after one year and became a star for the 49ers.

1984 1st rounder Billy Cannon LB, Tex A & M, a great pick on paper, showed enormous talent, but had a terrible neck spine injury which wiped out his career. 5th round QB Steve Pelluer was an unpolished QB, who was given chance to replace Danny White, but failed. Victor Scott was a decent safety taken in 2nd round; 6th rounder LB Euge Lockhart started at MLB for several years and made a ton of tackles, was a fan favorite, but Jimmy Johnson believed he was too slow and got rid of him in 1989.

1985 Kevin Brooks, DE/DT Michigan So much talent, so much ability to dominate, was Big 10 defensive MVP; had dominated the University of Miami great offense; looked like perennial All-Pro to come. HUGE BUST!!!!! 2nd round LB Jesse Penn looked like a great find, then broke a leg and he was done; 3rd rounder G Crawford Kerr was a solid pick and started many years on OL; 5th rounder was a futures pick for USFL star RB Herschel Walker, a tremendous selection. Rest of draft terrible.

1986 15 draft picks, #1 was Mike Sherrard, WR, UCLA. sub 4.3 speed, but brittle as an old piece of wood. His bones shattered too often. Team had to draft Michael Irvin in 1988. Rest of draft produced nothing other than mediocre back-up TE Thornton Chandler.

1987 This was the year the Boys said they made corrections to the manner of their drafting and promised better results. 1st rounder Danny Noonan, NG/DT, Nebraska. A no-brainer to most fans and scouts, they called him a freak and heir to the legendary Randy White. He was a creature of steroids, had great size, speed ratio, but was never above average, a big disappointment. He helped seal the demise of the Brandt/Schramm/Landry. 2nd rounder Ron Francis, a CB, became a starter but could not cover well at all. 4th rounder Kelvin Martin was a big-time performer as a 3rd receiver and great punt returner for many years. 8th rounder Kevin Gogan at his RT position was a bust, but great at RG, won Super Bowl as starter, then left as a free agent and became a perennial All-Pro

1988 was the year of redemption to try to save their hides, Schramm and Brandt suddenly on their last wind went smart, Michael Irvin #1 and LB Ken Norton #2, arguably, the best #1-2 picks in Cowboys history. Aikman The Moose in 1989 also great. Rest of draft were busts except futures selection in Chad Hennings in 11th round, the Air Force pilot, who led the nation in sacks at Air Force Academy in 1987. He came to the boys in 1992. He was the DT pass rusher in the Steelers’ QB’s face that led to Larry Brown’s 2nd Super Bowl 1996 INT.
Who can't forget our dead era, of not participating in Free Agency???
 
They passed on Montana because of Glenn Carano, not White. They had selected Carano in the second round in 1977.
Not according to Gil Brandt. He himself said it was the only time he was talked out of a draft pick. He wanted to take Joe.
Tom and Tex said, no , we have Danny White, and we need a TE. So the took Cosbie.
 
They passed on Aaron Rodgers twice in the first round because we had Drew Bledsoe. At that point in his career, he was a transitional QB. His best days were behind him.
Many teams passed on him.
But yeah Parcells screwed us up on QB. And AR.

Bill wanted Bledsoe and Vinny.
He was on the verge of cutting Romo to keep Carter, until his positive drug test.
 
Who Remembers The Cowboys’ dead era drafting : 1978-1987

What happened to the genius of Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt and Tom Landry after 1977? They drove the team into the mud, deep mud. The team’s talent level took a nosedive galore. here is my report and analysis:

1978 1st round: Larry Bethea DE Michigan State, big bust; 2nd round FB Todd Christiansen, whom refused to play TE and Boys unloaded him; he went on to a great TE caree; 3rd-5th rounders were all busts.

1979 1st round Robert Shaw center. Drafted as very undersized, but who bulked up, played well in1980 and blew out a knee and was done in 1981. 2nd rounder CB Aaron Mitchell, highly touted as a rookie, burned out. He nicknamed ”AM/PM,” when he hit you it was daylight, afterwards you were knocked out and it was dark. 3rd round: Joe Montana was still on the board, Cowboys knew he had magic, but felt comfortable that Roger would play a few more years, Danny White was sensational as a backup and the team picked Glen Carano in 1978 as a 2nd rounder. The Boys made an excellent pick in TE Doug Cosbie, but missed out on Hall of Famer and winner Joe Montana.

1980 1st and 2nd rounders went for trade of John Dutton. 3rd rounders LB Bill Roe and RB James Jones busts

1981 1st round Howard Richards OT, never started, a complete waste. 2nd rounder Ohio State WR Doug Donley was decent 3rd receiver for a few years, 3rd rounder G Glenn Titensor was a decent guard; 7th rounder Ron Fellows was a great catch, starting at RCB for several years;

1982 Rod Hill, CB, KR, a horrific, awful pick. Super dud. Worst 1st rounder in history. 2nd rounder Jeff Rohrer from Yale was a mediocre LB for several years. Rest of draft was a waste, including 5th rounder RT Phil Pozderac, the worst RT in Cowboys’ history.

1983 Jim Jeffcoat, DE, Arizona State, the pick who was worth it. Boys tried to trade to get Elway. They knew Danny White did not have it. But remaining of picks were a waste for Boys, except 2nd rounder LB Mike Walter was cut after one year and became a star for the 49ers.

1984 1st rounder Billy Cannon LB, Tex A & M, a great pick on paper, showed enormous talent, but had a terrible neck spine injury which wiped out his career. 5th round QB Steve Pelluer was an unpolished QB, who was given chance to replace Danny White, but failed. Victor Scott was a decent safety taken in 2nd round; 6th rounder LB Euge Lockhart started at MLB for several years and made a ton of tackles, was a fan favorite, but Jimmy Johnson believed he was too slow and got rid of him in 1989.

1985 Kevin Brooks, DE/DT Michigan So much talent, so much ability to dominate, was Big 10 defensive MVP; had dominated the University of Miami great offense; looked like perennial All-Pro to come. HUGE BUST!!!!! 2nd round LB Jesse Penn looked like a great find, then broke a leg and he was done; 3rd rounder G Crawford Kerr was a solid pick and started many years on OL; 5th rounder was a futures pick for USFL star RB Herschel Walker, a tremendous selection. Rest of draft terrible.

1986 15 draft picks, #1 was Mike Sherrard, WR, UCLA. sub 4.3 speed, but brittle as an old piece of wood. His bones shattered too often. Team had to draft Michael Irvin in 1988. Rest of draft produced nothing other than mediocre back-up TE Thornton Chandler.

1987 This was the year the Boys said they made corrections to the manner of their drafting and promised better results. 1st rounder Danny Noonan, NG/DT, Nebraska. A no-brainer to most fans and scouts, they called him a freak and heir to the legendary Randy White. He was a creature of steroids, had great size, speed ratio, but was never above average, a big disappointment. He helped seal the demise of the Brandt/Schramm/Landry. 2nd rounder Ron Francis, a CB, became a starter but could not cover well at all. 4th rounder Kelvin Martin was a big-time performer as a 3rd receiver and great punt returner for many years. 8th rounder Kevin Gogan at his RT position was a bust, but great at RG, won Super Bowl as starter, then left as a free agent and became a perennial All-Pro

1988 was the year of redemption to try to save their hides, Schramm and Brandt suddenly on their last wind went smart, Michael Irvin #1 and LB Ken Norton #2, arguably, the best #1-2 picks in Cowboys history. Aikman The Moose in 1989 also great. Rest of draft were busts except futures selection in Chad Hennings in 11th round, the Air Force pilot, who led the nation in sacks at Air Force Academy in 1987. He came to the boys in 1992. He was the DT pass rusher in the Steelers’ QB’s face that led to Larry Brown’s 2nd Super Bowl 1996 INT.
Some more of Jerry Jones cronyism
 
Who Remembers The Cowboys’ dead era drafting : 1978-1987

What happened to the genius of Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt and Tom Landry after 1977? They drove the team into the mud, deep mud. The team’s talent level took a nosedive galore. here is my report and analysis:

1978 1st round: Larry Bethea DE Michigan State, big bust; 2nd round FB Todd Christiansen, whom refused to play TE and Boys unloaded him; he went on to a great TE caree; 3rd-5th rounders were all busts.

1979 1st round Robert Shaw center. Drafted as very undersized, but who bulked up, played well in1980 and blew out a knee and was done in 1981. 2nd rounder CB Aaron Mitchell, highly touted as a rookie, burned out. He nicknamed ”AM/PM,” when he hit you it was daylight, afterwards you were knocked out and it was dark. 3rd round: Joe Montana was still on the board, Cowboys knew he had magic, but felt comfortable that Roger would play a few more years, Danny White was sensational as a backup and the team picked Glen Carano in 1978 as a 2nd rounder. The Boys made an excellent pick in TE Doug Cosbie, but missed out on Hall of Famer and winner Joe Montana.

1980 1st and 2nd rounders went for trade of John Dutton. 3rd rounders LB Bill Roe and RB James Jones busts

1981 1st round Howard Richards OT, never started, a complete waste. 2nd rounder Ohio State WR Doug Donley was decent 3rd receiver for a few years, 3rd rounder G Glenn Titensor was a decent guard; 7th rounder Ron Fellows was a great catch, starting at RCB for several years;

1982 Rod Hill, CB, KR, a horrific, awful pick. Super dud. Worst 1st rounder in history. 2nd rounder Jeff Rohrer from Yale was a mediocre LB for several years. Rest of draft was a waste, including 5th rounder RT Phil Pozderac, the worst RT in Cowboys’ history.

1983 Jim Jeffcoat, DE, Arizona State, the pick who was worth it. Boys tried to trade to get Elway. They knew Danny White did not have it. But remaining of picks were a waste for Boys, except 2nd rounder LB Mike Walter was cut after one year and became a star for the 49ers.

1984 1st rounder Billy Cannon LB, Tex A & M, a great pick on paper, showed enormous talent, but had a terrible neck spine injury which wiped out his career. 5th round QB Steve Pelluer was an unpolished QB, who was given chance to replace Danny White, but failed. Victor Scott was a decent safety taken in 2nd round; 6th rounder LB Euge Lockhart started at MLB for several years and made a ton of tackles, was a fan favorite, but Jimmy Johnson believed he was too slow and got rid of him in 1989.

1985 Kevin Brooks, DE/DT Michigan So much talent, so much ability to dominate, was Big 10 defensive MVP; had dominated the University of Miami great offense; looked like perennial All-Pro to come. HUGE BUST!!!!! 2nd round LB Jesse Penn looked like a great find, then broke a leg and he was done; 3rd rounder G Crawford Kerr was a solid pick and started many years on OL; 5th rounder was a futures pick for USFL star RB Herschel Walker, a tremendous selection. Rest of draft terrible.

1986 15 draft picks, #1 was Mike Sherrard, WR, UCLA. sub 4.3 speed, but brittle as an old piece of wood. His bones shattered too often. Team had to draft Michael Irvin in 1988. Rest of draft produced nothing other than mediocre back-up TE Thornton Chandler.

1987 This was the year the Boys said they made corrections to the manner of their drafting and promised better results. 1st rounder Danny Noonan, NG/DT, Nebraska. A no-brainer to most fans and scouts, they called him a freak and heir to the legendary Randy White. He was a creature of steroids, had great size, speed ratio, but was never above average, a big disappointment. He helped seal the demise of the Brandt/Schramm/Landry. 2nd rounder Ron Francis, a CB, became a starter but could not cover well at all. 4th rounder Kelvin Martin was a big-time performer as a 3rd receiver and great punt returner for many years. 8th rounder Kevin Gogan at his RT position was a bust, but great at RG, won Super Bowl as starter, then left as a free agent and became a perennial All-Pro

1988 was the year of redemption to try to save their hides, Schramm and Brandt suddenly on their last wind went smart, Michael Irvin #1 and LB Ken Norton #2, arguably, the best #1-2 picks in Cowboys history. Aikman The Moose in 1989 also great. Rest of draft were busts except futures selection in Chad Hennings in 11th round, the Air Force pilot, who led the nation in sacks at Air Force Academy in 1987. He came to the boys in 1992. He was the DT pass rusher in the Steelers’ QB’s face that led to Larry Brown’s 2nd Super Bowl 1996 INT.
I remember the Dave Campo drafts. Man they were brutal. One year we didn’t have a first round pick cuz of Galloway and we drafted all CBs and one offensive lineman. Parcells took over and drafted Ware and Swagu, Witten and signed Romo as an UDFA. That started the shift back to a getting more talented.

When Dwayne Goodrich is your top draft pick, yeah you’re in trouble. And that has nothing to do with his off the field stuff. The next year we drafted Quincy and Tony Dixon, ouch. Antonio Bryant was a solid draftee, nothing world beating but at least he was an average starter. Man those were some brutal drafts.
 
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