The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference East Division. The Cowboys joined the NFL as an expansion team in and have played their home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, since 2009.

The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting", is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them.

Since the team's first draft, the Cowboys have selected 63 players in the first round. The team's first pick in their inaugural NFL draft was Bob Lilly, a defensive tackle from Texas Christian University; he was the 13th overall selection. The Cowboys have drafted first overall three times, selecting Ed "Too Tall" Jones in 1974, Troy Aikman in 1989, and Russell Maryland in 1991. In the most recent draft, held in 2026, the Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence.

The Cowboys did not draft a player in the first round on eleven occasions. Seven of the team's first-round picks—Troy Aikman, Tony Dorsett, Michael Irvin, Bob Lilly, Emmitt Smith, DeMarcus Ware, and Randy White—have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the team's first-round picks—Scott Appleton—chose to sign with the NFL's pre-merger direct competitor, the American Football League (AFL), instead.

Player selections

+ Key Symbol Meaning Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame * Selected number one overall Selected number one overall and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Position abbreviations C Center CB Cornerback DB Defensive back DE Defensive end DT Defensive tackle G Guard LB Linebacker QB Quarterback RB Running back S Safety T Tackle TE Tight end WR Wide receiver

+Dallas Cowboys first-round draft picks by season Season Pick Player Position College Notes 1961 13 DT TCU Original pick traded to Washington Redskins. Pick received from Cleveland Browns. 1962 Pick traded to Cleveland Browns 1963 6 LB Alabama 1964 4 T Texas Signed for the AFL's Houston Oilers instead 1965 5 QB California 1966 5 G Iowa 1967 Pick traded to Houston Oilers 1968 20 DE Alabama 1969 24 RB Yale 1970 23 RB West Texas State 1971 25 DE USC 1972 26 RB Boston College 1973 20 TE Michigan State 1974 1 * DE Tennessee State Pick received from Houston Oilers 22 RB NC State 1975 2 LB Maryland Pick received from New York Giants 18 LB Langston 1976 27 DB Wyoming 1977 2 RB Pittsburgh Moved up draft order in trades with San Diego Chargers and Seattle Seahawks 1978 28 DE Michigan State 1979 27 C Tennessee 1980 Pick traded to Baltimore Colts 1981 26 T Missouri 1982 25 DB Kentucky State 1983 23 DE Arizona State 1984 25 LB Texas A&M 1985 17 DE Michigan 1986 18 WR UCLA Moved up draft order in trade with San Francisco 49ers 1987 12 DT Nebraska 1988 11 WR Miami (FL) 1989 1 QB UCLA 1990 17 RB Florida Original pick forfeited in 1989 supplemental draft. Pick received from Minnesota Vikings. Moved up draft order in trade with Pittsburgh Steelers. 1991 1 * DT Miami (FL) Pick received from Minnesota Vikings. Moved up draft order in trade with New England Patriots. 12 WR Tennessee 20 DT Ole Miss Pick received from New Orleans Saints. Moved down draft order in trades with New England Patriots and Washington Redskins. 1992 17 DB Texas A&M Pick received from Minnesota Vikings. Moved down draft order in trade with New England Patriots then up in trade with Atlanta Falcons. 24 LB East Carolina 1993 Moved down draft order in trade with Green Bay Packers 1994 23 DE Arizona State Moved up draft order in trade with San Francisco 49ers 1995 Moved down draft order in trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1996 Moved down draft order in trade with Washington Redskins 1997 22 TE LSU Moved up draft order in trade with Philadelphia Eagles 1998 8 DE North Carolina 1999 20 DE North Carolina Moved up draft order in trade with Seattle Seahawks 2000 Pick traded to Seattle Seahawks 2001 Pick traded to Seattle Seahawks 2002 8 S Oklahoma Moved down draft order in trade with Kansas City Chiefs 2003 5 CB Kansas State 2004 Moved down draft order in trade with Buffalo Bills 2005 11 LB Troy 20 DE LSU Pick received from Buffalo Bills 2006 18 LB Ohio State 2007 26 LB Purdue Moved down draft order in trade with Cleveland Browns then up in trade with Philadelphia Eagles 2008 22 RB Arkansas Pick received from Cleveland Browns 25 CB South Florida Moved up draft order in trade with Seattle Seahawks 2009 Pick traded to Detroit Lions 2010 24 WR Oklahoma State Moved up draft order in trade with New England Patriots 2011 9 T USC 2012 6 CB LSU Moved up draft order in trade with St. Louis Rams 2013 31 C Wisconsin Moved down draft order in trade with San Francisco 49ers 2014 16 T Notre Dame 2015 27 DB UConn 2016 4 RB Ohio State 2017 28 DE Michigan 2018 19 LB Boise State 2019 Pick traded to Oakland Raiders 2020 17 WR Oklahoma 2021 12 LB Penn State Moved down draft order in trade with Philadelphia Eagles 2022 24 T Tulsa 2023 26 DT Michigan 2024 29 T Oklahoma Moved down draft order in trade with Detroit Lions 2025 12 G Alabama 2026 11 S Ohio State Moved up draft order in trade with Miami Dolphins 23 DE UCF Moved down draft order in trade with Philadelphia Eagles

See also Dallas Cowboys draft history History of the Dallas Cowboys List of Dallas Cowboys seasons

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