Assuming they don't make a trade between now and Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys will go on the clock for the first time in the 2026 NFL Draft at No. 12 overall, which is a specific selection in which they've found some success over the years.
Now, the best pick Dallas has made at that number is unquestionably Micah Parsons, who went 12th overall after Jerry Jones traded back two spots to acquire some extra draft capital from the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Parsons, of course, is no longer with the club after Jones inexplicably dealt him to the Green Bay Packers last August, but there's no getting around the fact that the Penn State product became one of the best defensive players in franchise history despite spending just four seasons in Big D.
Parsons aside, though, the second-best selection the Cowboys have made at No. 12 is wide receiver Alvin Harper, who was brought to town in 1991 to be the team's WR2 alongside Michael Irvin. And the Tennessee alum played that role to perfection for four seasons before he decided he wanted to try to be the guy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which didn't work out so well for him.
Nevertheless, Harper's contributions to the Cowboys can't be ignored. Truth be told, there was one particular catch he made in the NFC Championship Game of the 1992 season that could conceivably be seen as the play that kick-started the 1990s Dallas dynasty.
Alvin Harper's 70-yard catch in the 1992 NFC Championship Game ignited the Cowboys' dynastic run
After making just 20 catches for 326 yards and one touchdown as a rookie, Harper stepped things up a bit in helping the Cowboys to a 13-3 regular-season record in 1992, tallying 35 receptions for 562 yards and four scores.
And while he only made one grab in Dallas' 34-10 win over the rival Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round, that one grab went for 41 yards, giving fans a glimpse of what was to come the following week.
In the NFC title game, of course, the Cowboys matched up with another longtime rival in the San Francisco 49ers, who'd gone 14-2 to claim the No. 1 seed in the conference behind an NFL MVP season from Steve Young. As such, the Niners hosted this rivalry matchup in the friendly confines of Candlestick Park, where Dallas had suffered some heartbreaking defeats, most notably the 1981 NFC title game that featured "The Catch" from San Francisco tight end Dwight Clark.
The game was tight early on, with the two teams tied 10-10 at halftime, but the Cowboys took control in the second half, taking a 24-13 lead after Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.
But the Niners certainly didn't quit and regained the momentum when Young hit Jerry Rice with a 5-yard touchdown pass. Mike Cofer then connected on the PAT to bring San Francisco within four at 24-20 with 4:22 to play.
After an 11-yard return from Kevin Smith on the ensuing kickoff, the Cowboys went back on offense on their own 21-yard line with roughly four minutes on the clock. And while they could have taken the conservative route and just handed the ball to Emmitt Smith, head coach Jimmy Johnson and offensive coordinator Norv Turner opted to get aggressive.
And that's when it happened.
Instead of handing the ball off, Aikman dropped back to pass, connected with Harper at the 35-yard line, and No. 80 did the rest, making his way down to the Niners' 9-yard line for a 70-yard gain. Just three plays later, Aikman hit Kelvin Martin with a 6-yard touchdown pass, and that was that. While Lin Elliott missed the extra-point attempt, the Cowboys held a 30-20 lead, and that turned out to be the final score.
Harper had three catches that afternoon at Candlestick for a team-high 117 yards, and while he had only one catch in Dallas' dominant 52-17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 27, it went for a 45-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys, of course, went on to win two more Super Bowls over the next three years, and while Harper wasn't there for the third one, he deserves his place in history as the guy who played a big part in the Dallas dynasty.
Add us as a preferred source on Google