5 best No. 24 overall picks in NFL Draft history: Cowboys sitting pretty

4. Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina University: Tennessee Titans (2008)

Chris Johnson might still be a sore subject for Dallas Cowboys fans. Knowing they needed a new running back in 2008, the Cowboys had two picks in Round 1 and it was clear where one of those selections would go. They loved Darren McFadden but the Arkansas Razorback wasn't going to be there at No. 22, which is where Dallas sat.

They also liked Jonathan Stewart, but he went to the Carolina Panthers at No. 13. However, there were still a couple of solid options when the Cowboys were on the clock.

Those options included three players who had very good NFL careers: Matt Forte, Rashard Mendenhall, and Chris Johnson. Dallas, however, took Felix Jones who was McFadden's teammate at Arkansas.

Forte and Johnson were the best of that bunch but even Mendenhall outperformed Jones. Out of all four options, however, Johnson would have been the best fit in the Dallas offense but Jerry Jones was worried about his size (195 pounds) and the program he came out of (East Carolina).

As fate would have it, Johnson went to the Tennessee Titans at No. 24 overall and was a superstar. The young man who ran a 4.24 in the 40-yard dash put up 1,228 rushing yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie. He then put up 2,006 yards and 14 touchdowns in his second season — while adding 503 yards and two scores as a receiver.

Johnson proved his size wasn't an issue as he had 408 touches in his second season followed by 306 in year three. He still played 10 years in the NFL and while he wasn't effective in the final two for the Arizona Cardinals, he was in his 30s by then and hardly any running backs have success that late.

In his prime, Johnson was one of the best and topped 1,000 yards in each of his first six years in the league. He finished with 2,470 total touches for 11,906 yards from scrimmmage with 64 touchdowns.