The Dallas Cowboys have had their share of luck — both good and bad — in the NFL Draft. A look through the years of America’s Team making picks and how they sometimes scored big late. Anything after the third round is a hidden gem for this exercise.
1962: George Andrie
Marquette is known for its basketball program. The school hasn’t had a football team since 1960. George Andrie played his sophomore and junior seasons at the school and led the team in receiving both years. As a two-way player, he was also ranked among the team’s tackle leaders, registering over 80 tackles as a defensive lineman. After a 3–6 season in 1960 under head coach Lisle Blackbourn, the university dropped the football program in December, citing financial issues. Idle in his senior season, he was off the radar of most pro teams, except for the Dallas Cowboys Their player personnel director was Gil Brandt, who was born and raised in Milwaukee and was a Wisconsin alumnus. They selected Andrie in the sixth round (82nd overall) of the 1962 NFL Draft as a defensive end. He started 137 of the 141 games he played for Dallas.
1964: Bob Hayes, Roger Staubach
Imagine getting two Hall of Famers in the back end of one draft. That is what Dallas did in 1964 when it took Florida A&M’s Bob Hayes in the seventh round and Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in the 10th.
1965: Jethro Pugh
Drafted out of Elizabeth City State in the 11th round, Jethro Pugh became a major force on the Dallas defensive line. He started 156 games on the 183 he played and was with the Cowboys from 1965-78.
1966: Walt Garrison
Walt Garrison was a fifth-round pick from Arizona State who played with Dallas from 1966-74. The rugged back rushed for almost 3,886 yards and caught passes for another 1,794.
1967: Rayfield Wright
A seventh-round pick out of Fort Valley State, offensive tackle Rayfield Wright went on to a career that ended in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Wright was a Cowboy from 1967-79.
1967: Pat Riley
Yes, folks, that Pat Riley was an 11th-round pick of the Cowboys in 1967. The flanker went on to a career in basketball with, um, moderate success.
1968: Blaine Nye, D.D. Lewis, Larry Cole
The Cowboys struck it rich in the fifth and sixth rounds of the 1968 draft. They grabbed offensive lineman Blaine Nye from Stanford and followed with linebacker D.D. Lewis (pictured). Oh, and in the 16th round, they grabbed defensive lineman Larry Cole from Hawaii. All he did was play from 1968-80.
1970: John Fizgerald,Pat Toomay
John Fitzgerald was taken in the fourth round out of Boston College and played center from 1971-80, taking over the starting job in 1973. Pat Toomay spent five years with Dallas after being taken in the sixth round out of Vanderbilt. The defensive end made 45 starts as a Cowboy.
1972: Jean Fugett
Jean Fugett played tight end and was a 13th-round pick out of Amherst. He spent four years with Dallas and finished his career with the same amount of time in Washington.
1975: Mike Hegman
Mike Hegman (pictured, left) was a seventh-round pick out of Tennessee State who made 119 starts and played in 170 games from 1976-87.
1976: Tom Rafferty
Tom Rafferty was a fourth-round pick from Penn State who made 182 starts in a Cowboys career that spanned 1976-89.
1978: Dennis Thurman
Dennis Thurman played college ball at USC and was an 11th round choice who played eight of his nine seasons with the Cowboys.
1979: Ron Springs
Ron Springs was a fifth-round choice out of Ohio State and rushed for 2,180 yards over six seasons. He scored 38 TDs, when you combine his rushing and receiving efforts.
1980: Gary Hogeboom, Timmy Newsome
Gary Hogeboom played college ball at Central Michigan before becoming a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys. He stuck for six years, primarily as a backup, throwing for 3,550 yards and 13 TDs. Timmy Newsome was a sixth-rounder out of Winston-Salem State and played fullback for the Cowboys over nine seasons.
1985: Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker was a fifth-round pick by the Cowboys, thanks to his decision to play in the USFL earlier. Walker rushed for 3,491 yards with Dallas and proved beneficial thanks to the haul they got in return when he was dealt to Minnesota.
1987: Kevin Gogan
Kevin Gogan was an eighth-round pick from Washington who played with Dallas for seven years and made 75 starts on the offensive line.
1988: Chad Hennings
Chad Hennings played college ball at Air Force. He was an 11th-rounder and Dallas had to wait for the defensive lineman until 1992. It was worth it as Hennings made 72 starts over nine years and had 27.5 sacks.
1991: Leon Lett, Larry Brown
How about grabbing a Super Bowl MVP in the 11th round? Larry Brown did just that after being taken from TCU. Leon Lett, for all his foibles around the football, was an absolute steal as a seventh-round pick out of Emporia State.
2003: Bradie James
Bradie James was a fourth-round pick from LSU who played nine seasons and made 111 starts for Dallas.
2005: Marion Barber, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff
Marion Barber came to the Cowboys from Minnesota in the fourth round, Chris Canty was another fourth rounder, from Virginia, and Jay Ratliff was a seventh-rounder from Auburn in the 2005 draft. Canty and Ratliff combined for 37 sacks while with Dallas. Barber rushed for 4,358 yards with the Cowboys.
2008: Orlando Scandrick
Orlando Scandrick spent nine seasons in the Dallas secondary after being taken in the fifth round from Boise State.
2011: Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Harris was a sixth-round pick out of East Carolina. He spent four years in Dallas and has become one of the better returners in the league.
2016: Dak Prescott
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Dak Prescott was taken in the fourth round out of Mississippi State and has stepped in and started at quarterback for Dallas since his arrival.
