Dallas Cowboys: 15 best draft-day steals of all-time

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15 Sep 1997: Running back Herschel Walker of the Dallas Cowboys moves the ball during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The Cowboys won the game, 21-20. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport /

Best draft-day steals by the Dallas Cowboys of all-time: 2. The Herschel Walker Trade

1990-92 NFL Drafts

Okay, so technically, the Herschel Walker trade was not a “draft-day” steal, but the trade of Walker set the Cowboys up to become the NFL’s powerhouse team of the 1990s. To understand the trade, you have to understand how good Walker was and why the Minnesota Vikings mortgaged their future to get him.

At the time, Walker was coming off his best season in the NFL, rushing for over 1,500 yards in 1988. The Vikings, who viewed themselves as a piece away from being a Super Bowl contender, gave away a ton of picks for Walker, who was the best player on a Cowboys team that would end up going 1-15 in 1989.

While Walker never led the Vikings to the Super Bowl, the Cowboys capitalized on the picks, bringing in a handful of players who would become cornerstones on the their three Super Bowl winning teams in the 1990s.

Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland and Darren Woodson all became stars during their time with the Cowboys. This trade is still considered one of the more lopsided deals in pro sports history.

For Walker, he never quite reached the status many thought he would when he came out of Georgia and ran all over defenses playing for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL. In fact, his only two Pro Bowl appearances came as a member of the Cowboys, as he rushed for over 1,000 yards only one other time than his 1988 campaign.

Sometimes, you do not have to make the move on draft day to set your team up for success. The Cowboys struck while the iron was hot, revamped their roster and became the premier team in the NFL for an entire decade.

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