Every NFL team’s greatest running back of all time
By Randy Gurzi
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 1990-02. Emmitt Smith. 123. RB. . player
No team was more dominant in the early 1990s than the Dallas Cowboys. Purchased in 1989 by Jerry Jones, Dallas brought in Jimmy Johnson as the head coach and he was the mastermind behind one of the more lopsided trades in NFL history.
Not long into his first season as coach, Johnson (or Jones depending on who you ask) sent running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.
Dallas then built their dynasty with those selections. as they landed stars such as Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith and Darren Woodson. As good as those players were, the best choice they made with those picks was Florida running back Emmitt Smith.
Chosen at No. 17 overall, Smith entered the league with questions surrounding him due to his height and lack of top-end speed. Considered short and slow, Smith came in with a chip on his shoulder. He took no time at all in proving the doubters wrong, as he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after rushing for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He then went on an insane run that included 11-straight seasons with at least 1,000 yards on the ground. Smith also had double-digit rushing touchdowns in eight of his 13 seasons with Dallas, including 21 in 1994 and 25 in 1995.
His consistency on the ground was vital in the Cowboys’ three Super Bowl runs. His ability to churn out so many yards led to him breaking Walter Payton’s rushing record in October 2002.
Smith finished his Dallas career with 17,162 yards rushing and 153 touchdowns. He then played two more seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and still sits atop the NFL rushing leaderboard with a total of 18,355 yards on the ground.