Dallas Cowboys: 15 best first-round picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Best first-round draft picks in Dallas Cowboys history: 11. John Niland
John Niland’s journey to football dominance in the trenches for the Cowboys is an interesting one. Raised by an adoptive family in Iowa, he would star at fullback up until his junior season with the Hawkeyes. From there, he became an All-American guard for the University of Iowa. Dallas made a wise selection in taking him No. 5 in the 1966 NFL Draft.
Niland would spend the next nine NFL seasons starring on the offensive line for America’s Team. He was an exceptional pulling guard in his prime, earning six straight Pro Bowl nods and earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 1971 and 1972.
Niland would help Dallas capture its first Super Bowl championship in the 1971 NFL season, as the Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. He would play three more seasons in Dallas uniform before being traded to the rival Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 1975 campaign. Niland would only play in 14 games for the Eagles before suffering a career-ending knee injury in 1976 training camp.
Overall, Niland played in 124 games for the Cowboys are left guard, starting in 113 of them. He missed only two games in his nine years with the Cowboys. While he isn’t in any hall of fame, Niland’s consistency as a road grader late 1960s and early 1970s has him coming in at No. 11 on this list.