The NFL Draft is finally among us. Even though the Cowboys aren't expected to have a pick on Thursday, history suggests things can still get interesting throughout the weekend.
All you have to do is go back in time and reflect on many wild moments for the Cowboys during the draft.
Whether it was picking a player that would wind up being a Hall of Fame basketball coach, or finding success with an Olympic sprinter and going back to draft another one some 20 years later, the Cowboys have had too many draft-related stories to remember.
But here they are. Check out 60 draft facts that all Cowboys fans should know.
As the Cowboys enter their 60th season in the NFL, there have certainly been many great draft stories over the years. From Carl Lewis to Pat Riley to the stories behind Troy Aikman and Dak Prescott, here are 60 Cowboys Draft Facts that you should know.
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- Draft Fact 60: The 2018 NFL Draft was held at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, the first time an NFL stadium hosted the annual extravaganza. The event set records for television ratings on the first night, economic impact and overall attendance.
- Draft Fact 59: In the 17 seasons since 2002, the Cowboys have drafted 24 players who have gone on to make the Pro Bowl, including 2018 first-round draft pick Leighton Vander Esch.
- Draft Fact 58: In the 11-year period from 2008-18, the Cowboys drafted five players out of Boise State, the most from any school over that span: Orlando Scandrick (2008),Tyrone Crawford (2012), DeMarcus Lawrence (2014), Vander Esch (2018) and Cedrick Wilson (2018).
- Draft Fact 57: The Cowboys selected quarterback Mike White in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, the first player from Western Kentucky chosen by the team. Dallas has now drafted players from 217 different colleges.
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- Draft Fact 56: When the Cowboys' turn came around with the 16th pick in the 2014 draft, popular Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was still on the board. But instead of going for flash, the team stayed the course with substance, selecting Notre Dame guard Zack Martin instead, much to the disappointment of fans. They certainly aren't disappointed anymore. Martin has been a Pro Bowler in each of his five years in the league and an All-Pro three times, while Manziel was out of the NFL after two troubled seasons.
- Draft Fact 55: Byron Jones, the Cowboys first-round pick in the 2015 draft, set a world record in the standing broad jump at that year's scouting combine, leaping an incredible 12 feet, 3 inches.
- Draft Fact 54: The 2016 draft appears to be one of the best in team history, headlined by Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. In truth, the Cowboys settled for Prescott. They first considered trading up to get Memphis' Paxton Lynch late in the first round before deciding the price was too steep. They then had their sights set on Connor Cook, only to see the Raiders trade one spot ahead of them to grab the Michigan State product early in the fourth round. Finally, the Cowboys took Mississippi State's Prescott with the second of their two fourth-round draft picks. To say it worked out would be an understatement. Neither Lynch or Cook played a snap in 2018.
- Draft Fact 53: Also in that 2016 draft, the Cowboys surprised everyone with a last-minute trade into the sixth round. There they selected Rico Gathers, a basketball player from Baylor, continuing the organization's long-standing tradition of trying to find talent in unusual places.
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- Draft Fact 52: For the first time in 30 years, the Cowboys drafted a kicker, Nick Folk being taken by the team in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. Jeff Ward, who never made the roster, was the last kicker to get selected, doing so in 1987.
- Draft Fact 51: Deemed a "special teams" draft, the 2009 draft may go down as the worst in team history. They had already traded their first-, third- and sixth-round choices to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams, and then dealt their second-round pick on draft day. Not a single starter came out of the bunch.
- Draft Fact 50: The 2010 draft began a string of seven years in which the team seemingly took a heavy risk with its second-round pick. Linebackers Sean Lee (2010), Bruce Carter (2011) and Jaylon Smith (2016) all suffered knee injuries in their senior years of college, while defensive end Randy Gregory (2015) failed a drug test at the scouting combine. Although fine when drafted, DeMarcus Lawrence (2014) also suffered a fractured foot in his first training camp and missed half of his rookie season. The Cowboys did not have a second-round pick in 2012, leaving only tight end Gavin Escobar (2013), who never met expectations.
- Draft Fact 49: When the Cowboys drafted Tyron Smith in the first round, ninth overall, in the 2011 draft, it marked the first time the team had taken an offensive lineman with its first pick since grabbing tackle Howard Richards in 1981.
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- Draft Fact 48: When the Cowboys went on the clock in the third round of the 2003 draft, another team called seeking a trade. Owner Jerry Jones was able to get the general manager on the other end of the line to reveal who they were going to draft. Normally, such information is top secret, but yes, the team was going to draft Jason Witten. Jones said no thanks, hung up and promptly drafted the tight end himself.
- Draft Fact 47: Overall, the Cowboys have drafted 17 players out of Tennessee, the most from any college. UCLA and Florida are second at 16 apiece.
- Draft Fact 46: When Dallas went on the clock with the 11th overall selection in the 2005 draft, head coach Bill Parcells wanted LSU defensive end Marcus Spears. But he was talked out of the pick, the team instead deciding to take defensive end DeMarcus Ware. And when the Cowboys' next pick came up, the 20th overall choice, Spears was still available, so Parcells got his man.
- Draft Fact 45: That 2005 draft became one of the best in Cowboys annals as in addition to the future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware, they also picked up Pro Bowlers Marion Barber and Jay Ratliff, as well as defensive contributors Marcus Spears, Kevin Burnett and Chris Canty.
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- Draft Fact 44: The Cowboys gave up their first-round picks in both 2000 and 2001 to get wide receiver Joey Galloway from Seattle as a target for Toy Aikman. It proved to be one of the worst trades in team history, as Galloway was injured in his very first game with the team. By the time he came back the next year, Aikman had retired.
- Draft Fact 43: Colston Weatherington, a defensive end out of Central Missouri State, was selected in the seventh round of the 2001 draft. At 20 letters, he has the distinction of owning the longest name ever picked by the Cowboys.
- Draft Fact 42: The 2002 draft saw Dallas select three players who went to college at Ohio State, the most from one school in one draft in team history. Unfortunately, cornerback Derek Ross, fullback Jamar Martin and tackle Tyson Walter didn't make much of an impact.
- Draft Fact 41: A junior at Tennessee, Jason Witten decided to leave school early to enter the 2003 draft under the assurances that he would be selected in the first round. When that didn't happen, he supposedly was furious, even throwing his phone in frustration. Finally he was chosen by the Cowboys in the third round.
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- Draft Fact 40: The team's final pick, taken in the 12th round of the 1991 draft, was a cornerback from nearby TCU. Larry Brown would go on to earn MVP honors in Super Bowl XXX.
- Draft Fact 39: In the six years from 1994-99, the Cowboys used their first pick in the draft to select a defensive end four times. Only one, Greg Ellis, had much success with the team. Overall in their history, the Cowboys have taken a defensive lineman in the first round 17 times, the most of any position.
- Draft Fact 38: Larry Allen was a man among boys at tiny Sonoma State in California, but the Cowboys took a chance on the unknown offensive lineman in the second round of the 1994 draft. He earned induction into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
- Draft Fact 37: In the 1998 draft, many expected the Cowboys to draft Marshall University's Randy Moss. But after enduring the trials and tribulations of Michael Irvin, Dallas wasn't prepared to take on another troubled wideout. Legend has it that scout Jim Garrett, father of current head coach Jason Garrett, even jumped up on a table and pleaded, "This isn't the Boy Scouts. It's the NFL." Alas, the Cowboys drafted Greg Ellis instead. Moss never let them forget it, either, winning all seven games in which he faced Dallas while recording 10 touchdown catches.
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- Draft Fact 36: In the five-year Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson era from 1989-93, the team made more than 60 trades that included draft picks.
- Draft Fact 35: One of the biggest trades ever made was the Herschel Walker deal in 1989. In exchange for the star running back, the Minnesota Vikings would send Dallas their 1992 first-round pick, as well as five players. But there were also six conditional draft picks tied to those five players, the Cowboys receiving first-round choices in 1990 and 1991; second-rounders in 1990, 1991 and 1992; and a third-round selection in 1992. If Dallas decided not to keep a player, cutting him by a predetermined deadline of Feb. 1, 1990, the team would instead get the conditional pick. That was Jerry Jones' and Jimmy Johnson's plan all along.
- Draft Fact 34: Those draft picks from Minnesota eventually helped the Cowboys draft such integral players as Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith and Darren Woodson.
- Draft Fact 33: The Cowboys had the first overall pick in the 1990 draft as well, but gave that up to select quarterback Steve Walsh in the 1989 supplemental draft. He was then traded to New Orleans on Sept. 25, 1990 for draft picks, one of which, a third-rounder, turned into four-time Pro Bowler Erik Williams.
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- Draft Fact 32: Predicting that the USFL would soon fold, the Cowboys picked up the rival league's star player, Herschel Walker, in the fifth round of the 1984 draft. Dallas welcomed the former Heisman Trophy winner in 1986 after the USFL turned out the lights.
- Draft Fact 31: Max Zendejas was selected by the Cowboys with their fourth-round pick in the 1986 draft, the highest a kicker has ever been drafted by the team. He was cut at the end of training camp after incumbent kicker Rafael Septien proved healthy.
- Draft Fact 30: Chad Hennings was the Cowboys' 11th round pick in the 1988 draft. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, he was fighter pilot who twice deployed to the Persian Gulf and flew 45 A-10 missions.
- Draft Fact 29: The first draft pick under Jerry Jones' ownership was an easy one: UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman. In fact, the Cowboys signed him to the largest rookie contract in NFL history three days before the 1989 draft was even held.
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- Draft Fact 28: Linebacker Scott Pelleur was chosen with the fourth pick in the 1981 draft. Unlike his brother, he wasn't able to make the Cowboys roster. Quarterback Steve Pelleur was taken in the fifth round of the 1984 draft and spent five seasons with Dallas.
- Draft Fact 27: The first player the Cowboys ever drafted out of Texas A&M was linebacker Billy Cannon Jr., taken with the team's first pick in 1984. His father was legendary LSU running back Billy Cannon Sr., who won the Heisman Trophy in 1959. Unfortunately, eight games into his NFL career, the younger Cannon broke two vertebrae near his neck and never played again.
- Draft Fact 26: The last player Dallas took in the 1984 draft was Carl Lewis. The hope was the sprinter could be converted to wide receiver. Lewis went on to win four gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, earning nine gold medals overall in his Olympic career.
- Draft Fact 25: In the 1985 draft, the Cowboys had their hearts set on one player with their 17th overall pick. Unfortunately, the 49ers swooped in and acquired the 16th pick in a trade with the Patriots and stole their man – future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
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- Draft Fact 24: The 1978 draft marked the first time the Cowboys used all of their original picks, avoiding any trades. Unfortunately, only one of the 12 selections that year made any kind of real impact – safety Dennis Thurman, who was taken in the 11th round.
- Draft Fact 23: The Cowboys drafted Todd Christensen out of BYU in the second round of the 1978 draft. A fullback, he broke his foot in the final preseason game, which caused him to miss the entire year. The next season, Dallas tried to move him to tight end, but Christensen wasn't interested and so he was released. He signed with the Raiders in 1979 and agreed to switch to tight end. After the move, Christensen went on to earn five Pro Bowl invites and two All-Pro nods.
- Draft Fact 22: In the third round of the 1979 draft, the Cowboys decided not to pick the best player on their board, a quarterback. Instead, they tried to fill a need at tight end and selected Doug Cosbie. They missed out on future Hall of Famer Joe Montana.
- Draft Fact 21: The Cowboys again gave up their first- and second-round picks in 1980, this time in a trade with Baltimore for defensive lineman John Dutton. The move was necessitated after Ed "Too Tall" Jones decided to try boxing.
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- Draft Fact 20: The Cowboys' third-round pick in 1974 was Danny White out of Arizona State. After two years in the WFL, he joined the Cowboys in 1976. The Arizona Republic named White the Arizona Athlete of the Century in 2000.
- Draft Fact 19: The famed "Dirty Dozen" draft took place in 1975, when 12 rookies stepped in to help the Cowboys reach the Super Bowl. One of those rookies was actually undrafted free agent Percy Howard, a basketball player out of Austin Peay University. He had one catch in his entire NFL career before injuries sidelined him. His lone reception was a touchdown in Super Bowl X.
- Draft Fact 18: Mike Hegman was also taken in the seventh round of that 1975 draft, although most NFL teams thought that he wasn't eligible, as he was listed as a junior. But Cowboys player personnel director Gil Brandt knew that his class at Tennessee State had actually already graduated, so he was technically eligible. However, by the time the league proved that Brandt was right and everyone else was wrong, Hegman had missed the 1975 season. He joined the team in 1976.
- Draft Fact 17: The Cowboys gave up a first and three second-round selections to move up to the second overall pick in the 1977 draft. With that, they nabbed Tony Dorsett. Dallas was one of the first teams to use a computer to analyze college prospects, and Dorsett was the only player to ever earn a perfect score from the system.
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- Draft Fact 16: The Cowboys drafted running back Calvin Hill with their first pick in the 1969 draft. A Yale product, he's the highest Ivy Leaguer ever selected by the team and one of just four taken overall.
- Draft Fact 15: The Cowboys' sixth-round pick in 1970, Pat Toomay played five years for the team and 10 seasons overall in the NFL. After his career he became a writer, penning the book On Any Given Sunday. He played an assistant coach in the 1999 movie.
- Draft Fact 14: Dallas has drafted only two players out of tiny Tennessee State, but Ed "Too Tall" Jones still ranks fifth all time in team history with 57.5 official sacks, while his college teammate, Mike Hegman, is tied for 20th, earning 15.5.
- Draft Fact 13: Ed "Too Tall" Jones was the Cowboys' first-ever No. 1 overall pick, owning the top spot in 1974. They've had three No. 1's in their history, also Troy Aikman in 1989 and Russell Maryland in 1991.
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- Draft Fact 12: Of the 19 prospects the Cowboys drafted in 1966, 16 were offensive players. And of that group, an incredible eight were running backs. Walt Garrison enjoyed the most success. He still ranks ninth in team history for rushing yards (3,886).
- Draft Fact 11: With their last pick in the 1966 draft, the Cowboys took flanker Lou Hudson out of Minnesota, even though he didn't play football for the Gophers. The basketball sensation went on to enjoy a 13-year NBA career, earning all-star honors six times.
- Draft Fact 10: The Cowboys forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 1967 draft as compensation for signing guard Ralph Neely, who was drafted by both the NFL's Baltimore Colts and the AFL's Houston Oilers in 1965. Not wanting to move north, he signed with the Oilers, but once Dallas acquired his rights in a trade, Neely gave Houston back the check and joined the Cowboys. Lawsuits ensued, and the issue was finally resolved two years later with Dallas surrendering its picks. Neely was named to the Hall of Fame's All-Decade Team for the 1960s.
- Draft Fact 9: Taken in the 11th round of the 1967 draft was a Kentucky hoopster named Pat Riley, but the would-be receiver said no thanks to football. He, of course, went on to become one of the greatest head coaches in NBA history.
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- Draft Fact 8: The 1964 draft may be the greatest in NFL history. The Cowboys came away with three Hall of Famers – Mel Renfro, Bob Hayes and Roger Staubach.
- Draft Fact 7: Bob Hayes won the 100-meter dash at the 1964 Olympics, but he was also a football star at Florida A&M and was the first African-American to play in the Senior Bowl. The head coach of that South team? Tom Landry.
- Draft Fact 6: Despite being a Heisman Trophy winner, the Cowboys got Roger Staubach in the 10th round. He starred for the Naval Academy and so still had to fulfill his military commitment, which scared many teams off.
- Draft Fact 5: Selected in the 19th round of the 1965 draft by Dallas was halfback Merv Rettenmund from Ball State. Instead, he spent 13 seasons as an outfielder in the major leagues, winning the World Series with the Baltimore Orioles in 1970.
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- Draft Fact 4: Although the Cowboys' first season was in 1960, their first draft didn't come until 1961. Back then, the event took place in November, so by the time Dallas received its franchise (Jan. 28, 2960), the draft had already been held (Nov. 30, 1959).
- Draft Fact 3: The Cowboys' first official draft pick, 13th overall, came in 1961. Dallas had traded its first-round choice, second overall, to Washington for quarterback Eddie LeBaron, but traded back into the first round with Cleveland to future Hall of Famer Bob Lilly.
- Draft Fact 2: Guy Reese, taken in the 15th round of the 1962 draft, was the first Dallas native to be drafted by and play for the Cowboys. The defensive tackle went to South Oak Cliff High School and then SMU.
- Draft Fact 1: There was originally no time clock during the draft. In the second round of the 1964 draft, the Cowboys were concerned about a recent injury to Mel Renfro, so they sent a doctor to his Oregon campus. They eventually selected him, but the draft was delayed for six hours!
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