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NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history

By Hans Themistode

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /
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Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith (Photo credit should read PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images) /

NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: Dallas Cowboys, RB Emmitt Smith

Pick: 1990 NFL Draft, 1st round number 17 overall

Stats:

  • 18,355 rushing yards
  • 164 rushing touchdowns

Awards:

  • 3 time Super Bowl champ
  • 8 Pro Bowl selections
  • 4 time First Team All-Pro
  • 1 time MVP award

Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, the Dallas Cowboys is one of the most storied franchises in league history. Even now, with little to no playoff success over the past two and a half decades, the Cowboys are must-watch television.

Plenty of all-time greats have walked across the draft stage and posed with a Dallas Cowboys jersey with the commissioner while smiling from ear to ear. Pinpointing who was the best of their homegrown bunch was difficult but running back Emmitt Smith, taken with the 17th overall pick in the 1990 draft, takes the cake.

Once Smith placed his feet in the dirt and turned on his high gear, he was gone. In his first six years in the league, he was chosen as a Pro Bowler. Another four times, he was picked as an All-Pro First Teamer. For 11 straight years, Smith cracked the thousand-yard mark and in 1993, he was handed the league’s MVP award.

Defenders knew exactly what was coming when they played the Cowboys but seldom could they stop it. Smith led his squad to three Super Bowl wins and is on the shortlist of greatest running backs of all time. His 18,355 career rushing yards rank number one in league history and it doesn’t appear anyone will pass him anytime soon. The closest to his mark who is currently still playing is Frank Gore with 16,000. The current free agent back doesn’t appear to have much time left in the league as he has stated on numerous occasions that he will hang up the cleats very soon.

The Dallas Cowboys have had their fair share of stars but none have shined as brightly as Emmitt Smith.

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