The 5 best overall draft classes in Dallas Cowboys history

It’s great to have stars on your team, but every team needs depth to make that push for the championships. That’s what the 1993 Cowboys draft class provided to the team. I mean, sorta. None were enshrined in Canton, none achieved a First-Team All-Pro, but there were six Pro Bowl seasons.

While the players Dallas drafted in this class had success, most of it was while playing on other teams. That includes fourth-round right guard Ron Stone. He didn’t get the chance to be a starter along the Cowboys’ loaded offensive line, so he moved to New York after two seasons. He became an immediate starter for the Giants during his six-year tenure, earning two Pro Bowl nods. He then played two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, making his third Pro Bowl nod. Stone finished his career playing two seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

Seventh-round safety, Brock Marion, played five seasons with the Cowboys, helping them capture their 1996 Super Bowl win. He recorded his career-high 117-tackle season in 1997. Still, most of his individual success came during his play with the Miami Dolphins. Marion made the Pro Bowl three times and probably could have had more appearances. He made 80+ tackles in eight seasons and had at least five interceptions in four seasons. That’s highlighted by his 2001 season where he led the NFL with two pick-sixes, with one returned for 100 yards.

Second-rounder Darrin Smith had an immediate impact as a reliable linebacker for the Cowboys, making 93 tackles as a rookie. After playing out his rookie deal in Dallas, he would bounce around the league playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Saints. While Smith was an impact player, eclipsing 90+ tackles in six of his 12 seasons, he did not earn any individual hardware. Regardless, he made every team he played on better.

Sixth-round inside linebacker, Barry Minter, is another example of a player the Cowboys drafted that played well for another team. He was traded to the Chicago Bears as what was likely a good deed from Jimmy Johnson to then Bears head coach and former Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dave Wannstedt. Minter would play nine seasons in the NFL, gathering 90+ tackles three times. The players Dallas acquired in the trade would be released that season.

Dallas’ first selection from the 1993 draft became an elite special teams returner that couldn’t solidify his spot as a receiver. Kevin Williams played out his rookie deal with the Cowboys before playing the following four seasons with three teams. He averaged over 22 yards per kick return in all but his last two years.