Top 5 Cowboys draft picks of the 21st century

The NFL draft gives teams the opportunity to upgrade their teams through the best young talent in college football. The Dallas Cowboys have a history of building up Super Bowl winning teams through the draft.

Key players like Roger Staubach, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Tony Dorsett, and the famous Triplets (Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Micheal Irvin) of the 90s Cowboys Super Bowl winning teams were all selected in the draft. In this post, we will be going through the best Cowboys picks in the 21st century.

Regardless of whether they were selected in the first round or even the seventh, each of these players have made impacts on the Cowboys teams in the 21st century. 

1. Demarcus Ware

In 2005, the Dallas Cowboys selected defensive end, Demarcus Ware, at the 11th pick in the first round out of Troy.

Although Ware was not head coach Bill Parcells’ first choice in that draft (that being linebacker Marcus Spears), Ware ended up becoming one of the greatest Cowboys defensive players. In 9 seasons with the Cowboys, Ware racked up 576 tackes and a franchise leading 117 sacks.

Ware was also a 4x First Team All Pro, 3x Second Team All Pro, 7x Pro Bowler, led the league in sacks twice, and was named to the NFL All 2000s team. 

2. Dak Prescott

In 2016, the Cowboys selected quarterback Dak Prescott with the 135th overall pick in the first round out of Mississippi State. Coming out of the draft, there was not a lot of pressure on Prescott, expecting him to be the backup for Tony Romo.

However, the pressure would heat up as Romo suffered an injury in the Cowboys third preseason game and would be out for the first 10 games of the regular season.

Although Dak forced into the starting quarterback position, he arguably had the best season of his career, leading the Cowboys alongside fellow rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys went 13-3 with the first seed in the NFC.

In 2016, Prescott also won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl. Since 2016, Prescott has led the Cowboys to two more playoff appearances with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2018.  

3. Tyron Smith

In 2011, the Dallas Cowboys selected tackle Tyron Smith with the 9th overall pick out of USC.

Since his draft year, Tyron Smith has not only locked down the right tackle position for the Cowboys but has also been one of the best tackles in football. In 11 years in the league, Smith has garnered 8 Pro Bowls, two First Team All Pros and two Second Team All Pros.

While Smith has been injury prone the past two seasons, starting two games in 2020 and 11 in 2021, Smith is still an integral piece to the Cowboys offensive line.

4. Zach Martin

In 2014, the Dallas Cowboys selected guard Zack Martin out of Notre Dame with the 16th overall pick in the draft. Regarded as one of the top offensive lineman of his draft, Martin has proved to be one of the top offensive lineman if not the best offensive guards in the NFL.

In his career, Martin has started more than 10 games each season, while racking up an all pro and pro bowl nomination each season he has been in the NFL except for the 2020 season (five First Team All Pros, two Second Team All Pros, seven Pro Bowls). 

5. Jason Witten

In 2003, The Dallas Cowboys drafted tight end Jason Witten with the 69th overall pick in the fourth round of the draft out of Tennessee. This pick ended up shaping the Cowboys franchise for over a decade, providing them with one of the best tight ends in NFL history and a leader for the Cowboys on and off the field.

In 16 seasons with the Cowboys, Witten racked up 12,977 receiving yards and 72 touchdowns. Witten also garnered 11 Pro Bowls, two First Team All Pros and two Second Team All Pros. By the end of his career, Witten finished second all time amongst tight ends in receiving yards and fifth all time in receiving touchdowns.