For the first time since 2008, assuming things stay as they are at the time of this writing, the Dallas Cowboys will head into the NFL draft holding two first-round picks.
In addition to their own pick at No. 12 overall, which is the exact same selection they used to take Tyler Booker a year ago, America's Team also holds the 20th overall pick, which, of course, came from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons trade. Parsons is also part of a solid history Dallas has at No. 12.
Regarding the other, ahead of this year, the Cowboys have made the 20th pick on five previous occasions, although only four of those selections donned a star on the side of their helmet, as defensive tackle Kelvin Pritchett was immediately traded to the Detroit Lions in 1991, with Dallas receiving second-, third-, and fourth-round selections in return, which were subsequently used to take linebacker Dixon Edwards (No. 37), offensive lineman James Richards (No. 64), and defensive end Tony Hill (No. 108), respectively.
As for the four others, the Cowboys have gotten varying levels of success out of the No. 20 pick, so let's go ahead and dive into our rankings.
Ranking every No. 20 overall pick in Dallas Cowboys history
4. Dennis Homan, WR, 1968
A First-Team All-SEC selection and a consensus All-American at Alabama in 1967, wide receiver Dennis Homan was taken 20th overall by Dallas in 1968, and he certainly wasn't the player he was while with the Crimson Tide.
Homan ultimately spent just three seasons with the Cowboys, catching 23 passes for 437 yards with one touchdown before being traded ahead of the 1971 campaign to the Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he recorded just 14 receptions for 182 yards with a touchdown over two seasons before closing out his career in the World Football League.
3. Marcus Spears, DE, 2005
Before his current career as one of the many talking heads for ESPN's NFL coverage, Marcus Spears was taken 20th overall by the Cowboys in the 2005 draft following a stellar collegiate career at LSU.
Spears was solid at times, but he ultimately never lived up to his first-round status, tallying 226 total tackles and 10.0 sacks during his eight-year run with the Cowboys. He closed out his playing career with one season for the Baltimore Ravens.
2. Ebenezer Ekuban, 1999
Six years before Spears, the Cowboys used the 20th overall selection in the 1999 draft on defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, who'd earned First-Team All-ACC honors and a Second-Team All-American selection at North Carolina in 1998.
The hope was that Ekuban, who they actually traded up two spots to get, would come in and start opposite his former UNC teammate Greg Ellis, who Dallas drafted a year earlier at No. 8 overall. But things never really worked out that way.
Ekuban had a solid rookie campaign with 2.5 sacks, and he upped that total to 6.5 in 2000. But an injury limited him to just one game in 2001, and he just wasn't the same player over the next two seasons, recording just 3.5 sacks.
He regained his form after signing with the Cleveland Browns, posting a career-high 8.0 sacks in 2004, and then racked up 16.0 sacks in three seasons with the Denver Broncos before calling it a career.
1. Billy Joe DuPree, 1973
Last and obviously not least, we come to Billy Joe Dupree, who was taken 12th overall in 1973 and remains one of the greatest tight ends in Cowboys history.
The Michigan State alum spent his entire 11-year professional career in Dallas, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and helping the team to a trio of Super Bowl appearances. In the Cowboys' Super Bowl 12 victory over the Broncos, he led all pass-catchers with four receptions for 66 yards.
Over the course of his career, DuPree tallied 267 catches for 3,565 yards and 41 touchdowns, also adding one rushing score. Those 41 receiving touchdowns are still good for the second-most among all tight ends in franchise history, trailing only Jason Witten's 72, and tied for the eighth-most among all pass-catchers with CeeDee Lamb.
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