The 15 greatest first-round picks in Dallas Cowboys history

1. Troy Aikman, QB, 1989

He might not have been the overall best player to suit up for Dallas, but Troy Aikman should be considered the best choice they have ever made in the first round of the NFL Draft.

In 1989, when Jones had first taken over the team, he was taking some heat for firing Landry and Schramm which meant he and Johnson couldn’t miss with the No. 1 overall pick. Even with superstars such as Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, and Deion Sanders all available, Dallas took the UCLA quarterback and he proved to be the glue that kept their talented, but often wild team together.

Aikman found himself in an early battle for a starting spot when the Cowboys took Steve Walsh in the Supplemental Draft but he won the job and never looked back. Despite posting an 0-11 mark in his first season under center, Aikman showed the poise needed to be a star.

By his fourth season, this came to fruition as he led the Cowboys to the first of three Super Bowls in the 1990s. Overall, he was 94-71 as the starter and led them to five-straight seasons with at least 10 wins, but it was his play in the postseason that really made him great.

Dallas won three Super Bowls in a four-year span and Aikman was 11-4 overall in the playoffs. He was also lights out in their first title run, throwing eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions in those three wins.

Since Aikman played on the same team as Smith, he was never one to put up gaudy numbers. But he had no problem deferring to the ground game since it’s what led them to so much success, and when his number was called, he always delivered.