The Landry Hat
Fansided

Dallas Cowboys: 15 best first-round picks of all-time

By John Buhler

30 JAN 1994: RUNNING BACK EMMITT SMITH OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS FLASHES THE NUMBER ONE SIGN DURING THE COWBOYS 30-13 VICTORY OVER THE BUFFALO BILLS IN SUPER BOWL XXVIII AT THE GEORGIA DOME IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. SMITH RUSHED FOR TWO TOUCHDOWNS AND WAS SELECT
30 JAN 1994: RUNNING BACK EMMITT SMITH OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS FLASHES THE NUMBER ONE SIGN DURING THE COWBOYS 30-13 VICTORY OVER THE BUFFALO BILLS IN SUPER BOWL XXVIII AT THE GEORGIA DOME IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. SMITH RUSHED FOR TWO TOUCHDOWNS AND WAS SELECT /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
14 of 15
Next
Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys
Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) /

Best first-round draft picks in Dallas Cowboys history: 2. Troy Aikman

Without this guy, the Cowboys might still be looking for their first Super Bowl since the Tom Landry era. In fact, his selection was not only one of the best first-round picks ever, but possibly one of the very best to be taken No. 1 overall. We obviously are talking about Cowboys legendary quarterback Troy Aikman.

Dallas selected its franchise quarterback of the 1990s No. 1 overall out of UCLA in 1989. Aikman shined collegiality playing for Terry Donahue’s Bruins in the then Pac-10. It took a couple of years, but Aikman would become one of the brightest stars Dallas has ever seen. Aikman led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships in a four-year window in the early 1990s.

He made it to six straight Pro Bowls from 1991 to 1996, earning All-Pro honors in 1993. The three-time Super Bowl champion was Super Bowl XXVII MVP when his Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills to the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy. In 1997, Aikman won the NFL Man of the Year Award. Aikman would spend his entire 12-year NFL career with the Cowboys, retiring before the 2001 NFL season.

In 12 professional seasons, Aikman completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 32,942 yards, 165 touchdowns and 141 interceptions. Aikman is in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, the College Football Hall of Fame and has his No. 8 jersey retired by UCLA.

In his first year on the ballot, Aikman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. His Canton classmates include New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson, Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Reggie White.

Home/All-Time Lists