The Landry Hat
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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 /
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Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys
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 /

Best first-round draft picks in Dallas Cowboys history: 1. Emmitt Smith

Though he wasn’t the flashiest, running back Emmitt Smith got the job done better than anybody else when it came to pounding the rock. Smith was a unanimous All-American tailback for the Florida Gators in 1989. He left school a year early to be the No. 17 overall player taken in the 1990 NFL Draft. The rest is history.

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Smith would play 15 NFL seasons, 13 of which were with the Cowboys. All eight of his Pro Bowl appearances were in Cowboys uniform. He was First-Team All-Pro four straight seasons from 1992 to 1995, as well as Second-Team All-Pro in 1991. Smith was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1990.

He would obviously play a huge role in the Cowboys’ three Super Bowl victories in four years. His finest game came in Super Bowl XXVIII when he literally carried the Cowboys to victory over the Buffalo Bills in Atlanta.

Smith would win Super Bowl XXVIII MVP. Four times did Smith lead the league in rushing, as well as rushing touchdowns. 1993 saw him win NFL MVP.

Smith owns three NFL records: most career rushing yards (18,355), most rushing touchdowns in a career (164) and most career carries (4,409). He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and is in the Cowboys Ring of Honor. Smith made the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Next: Ranking every top-10 pick in Dallas Cowboys history

In 2010, Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. His Canton classmates include Washington Redskins guard Russ Grimm, New Orleans Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson, Detroit Lions cornerback Dick LeBeau and Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little.

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