10 Worst Dallas Cowboys Draft Picks of All Time

April 26, 2024

Justin Carter ranks the 10 worst draft picks ever for the Dallas Cowboys. What are the worst draft day moves that America's Team has ever made?

The NFL Draft is a great way to build a competitive football team. First-round picks can be the backbone of a franchise. However, not every draft pick works out.

The Dallas Cowboys have made a lot of great draft picks over the years, but not every one of those picks has panned out.

Below are the 10 worst Dallas Cowboys draft picks of all time. The Cowboys don't have a horrible track record when it comes to draft picks, so this is far from the worst list of busts that you could put together for an NFL franchise.

10. Tody Smith, Defensive End - 1971

The Cowboys drafted Tody Smith with the No. 25 overall pick in 1971. He spent just two seasons with the team, recording five sacks and playing in 17 games. It was a disappointing start for Smith's NFL career.

The good news? Dallas traded him to the Oilers in 1973 in a move that eventually landed the team Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Smith had some solid seasons in Houston, so it worked out well for everyone. Still, Smith's lack of production with the Cowboys lands him a spot on this list.

9. Shante Carver, Defensive End - 1994

Dallas drafted Shante Carver with the 23rd pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with the team, but was never really a huge factor. His best season came in 1997, when Carver recorded a career-high six sacks while starting all 16 games for the Cowboys. Overall, Carver lacked production over the course of his NFL career.

After Dallas didn't re-sign Carver in 1998, he was out of football for a few years until he reemerged in the CFL in 2000, but he didn't play a game for the B.C. Lions. He eventually ended up back in Dallas in 2001, playing in the Arena Football League for the Dallas Desperados. He was an All-Rookie selection there, so at least he contributed positively for one Jerry Jones-owned team.

8. Felix Jones, Running Back - 2008

The Cowboys took Arkansas running back Felix Jones in the first round back in 2008. He played five seasons with the team but struggled to make much of an impact. Jones did lead the NFL in yards per carry in 2009, but he never had more than three rushing touchdowns in a season nor did he have a 1,000-yard campaign. If Jones had been a late-round pick, that resume would look fine, but first-round running backs have to be more productive than Jones was.

Remember when the Cowboys drafted RB Felix Jones in the 1st round, only to continue making Marion Barber the lead back?

1st round draft capital does not *always* immediately lead to a large role for an RB.

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) August 24, 2021

7. Kevin Brooks, Defensive End - 1985

Kevin Brooks was the 17th overall pick for Dallas in 1985. The Michigan product played four seasons with the Cowboys, recording 12.5 sacks over that span. He ended his career with the Denver Broncos. Brooks was a decent player for the Cowboys, but his first-round draft status meant he was expected to be more than a rotational piece on the defensive line.

6. Dwayne Goodrich, Cornerback - 2000

Dwayne Goodrich is the only player on this list who was picked after the first round, but the 2000 second-round pick deserves a spot there because of how his career went. The top pick for the team in 2000 because they didn't have a first-rounder, Goodrich suffered a hamstring injury in training camp and played just five games as a rookie. He missed his second season with a torn Achilles, then played sparingly during 11 games in 2002.

And that was the end of Goodrich's career. He was in a hit-and-run accident in 2003 that killed two people and was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. He was released in 2011.

5. Rod Hill, Defensive Back - 1982

Rod Hill was the No. 25 pick of the 1982 NFL Draft. The defensive back wound up making most of his NFL impact on special teams. He played six seasons in the NFL, but only recorded defensive stats in four of those seasons.

Hill's Dallas career lasted just two years before the team traded him to Buffalo after he reportedly lost the locker room. The Cowboys got three late-round picks out of the deal. Hill was a very athletic player, but he was a raw prospect who the Cowboys took too early in the draft.

4. David LaFleur, Tight End - 1997

If you're taking a tight end with the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft, you better hope that tight end becomes at least a consistent NFL starter. That wasn't the case with David LaFleur, who the team took in 1997 out of LSU.

In four seasons with the Cowboys, LaFleur never had more than 322 receiving yards in a season. He ended his career with 85 catches for 729 yards and 12 touchdowns. Injuries limited him at the end, with a herniated disk being the thing that ultimately ended his time in the league.

3. Morris Claiborne, Cornerback - 2012

The Cowboys used the No. 6 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft on LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. He'd spend five seasons with the Cowboys, recording just four interceptions during his time with the franchise. He had 27 pass defenses and forced one fumble.

Save for Taco Charlton and Morris Claiborne, every Cowboys’ first-round pick since 2009 has made an All-Pro team. Incredible job by their scouting department.

— Jacob Prothro (ACC appreciator) (@JacobProthro) January 5, 2019

Claiborne didn't have the worst numbers of a Cowboys draft pick, but when you factor in that Dallas traded up to draft him and gave up a second-round pick to the Rams in the process, it makes it sting more.

2. Bobby Carpenter, Linebacker - 2006

The No. 18 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter came with a lot of high hopes after he was a third-team All-American for the Buckeyes. He didn't live up to those hopes, though, recording 3.5 sacks in his four seasons with the Cowboys. He started just three of his 58 games with the franchise and averaged 18 solo tackles per season. Carpenter might have been a decent special teamer, but he failed to live up to his expectations as a first-round pick.

1. Taco Charlton, Defensive End - 2017

Taco Charlton had 13.5 sacks as a senior with the Michigan Wolverines, which helped propel him up draft boards. The Dallas Cowboys grabbed him with the No. 28 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Taco Charlton over Tj Watt. https://t.co/gbrw8JnUYu

— ✭ Jacob Lavers ✭ (@DaWeeWooCowboys) April 18, 2024

Charlton spent just two seasons with the Cowboys, recording four sacks in those two years and one forced fumble. It was a struggle to get Charlton on the field, and he missed time in 2018 due to a shoulder injury. You could tell his place on the team was in jeopardy when he only played 27 snaps across the team's two playoff games in his second season. In 2019, he was a healthy inactive for two games before the team released him.

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