The Dallas Cowboys have a 30% chance of drafting a great player at #14
The Dallas Cowboys had a record of 8-8 during the 2011 NFL season. They missed the playoffs by just one game. Unfortunately, that’s not the only worrisome thing that came from their even-stevens record. Their place in the standings also afforded them the #14 pick in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft. Now, that could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the roll of the dice.
You see, at first, this pick may seem better than average. It is in the top half of the first round after all. But when we look back to the last 20 years of the draft, the #14 hasn’t been a good luck charm for many teams in the league. Actually, the Cowboys’ 2012 first round pick has a better chance of rolling “snake eyes” then the “lucky seven”.
To prove that point, here’s a list of #14 picks for the last twenty years and a brief description of their careers:
1992 – With the #14 pick, the New York Giants selected Derek Brown TE, from Notre Dame. Brown played three years for the Giants and only recorded a total of 11 catches in that time. He spent his final four years in the league with three different teams. In his seven year career, Brown scored one touchdown.
1993 – With the #14 pick, the Cleveland Browns selected Steve Everitt C, from Michigan. It’s difficult to measure the success of a center or any offensive lineman for that matter. But Everitt spent seven years in the league on three different teams. He was never selected to the Pro Bowl.
1994 – With the #14 pick, the Philadelphia Eagles select Bernard Williams T, from Georgia. Williams played just one year for the Eagles. He was banned from the league after failing an alleged 15 drug tests. Williams went on to play for the AFL, CFL, and XFL.
1995 – With the #14 pick, the Buffalo Bills selected Ruben Brown G, from Pittsburgh. Brown had a great 13 year career that included nine pro bowl appearances, eight of them in a row as a Bill. He was also selected as an All-Pro four times.
1996 – With the #14 pick, the Houston Oilers select Eddie George RB, from Ohio State. The 1996 Offensive Rookie of the Year and eventual Cowboy spent eights seasons with the Oilers/Titans. George made the Pro Bowl four consecutive years, an All Pro once and is part of the 10,000 yard rushing club.
1997 – With the #14 pick, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Reinard Wilson LB, from Florida State. Wilson spent six of his seven years in the league with the Bengals. In that span, he only started in 24 games.
1998 – With the #14 pick, the Carolina Panthers selected Jason Peter DT, from Nebraska. Peter’s career was shorten to just three years after he was forced to retire due to a reoccurring neck stinger injury.
1999 – With the #14 pick, the Kansas City Chiefs selected John Tait T, from Brigham Young. Tait spent nine years in the league, five of those as a Chief. Along with being a two-time Pro Bowl selection, Tait was also a solid player who started all 73 games he played in during his last five seasons with the Chicago Bears.
2000 – With the #14 pick, the Green Bay Packers selected Bubba Franks TE, from Miami (FL). Franks is a three time pro bowl player (2001-2003) whose eight year career was marred by inconsistency and injury.
2001 – With the #14 pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Kenyatta Walker T, from Florida. In his six year career, Walker started 73 of the 75 games he played in. And despite the lack of any All-Pro or Pro Bowl recognition, Walker did win a Superbowl ring with the Bucs in 2002.