5 best first-round draft picks in Dallas Cowboys history feat. Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and more

The Dallas Cowboys built their legacy by drafting smart and building around high upside players. Most of these players were selected in the first round, and they typically spent their entire football career with 'America's Team.'

Hence, with the 2025 NFL draft a few weeks away, let's look at five of the best first-round draft picks in Cowboys history.

Five best first-round draft picks in Dallas Cowboys history

5. Micah Parsons - 2021

The Dallas Cowboys drafted Micah Parsons with the 12th pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Parsons earned the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, a Pro Bowl invite, and a first-team All-Pro selection in his first season in the league. The Penn State product has only gotten better, and he's earned Pro Bowl honors in every year of his career.

Parsons is the current face of Jerry Jones's side, and he's well on track to earning a gold jacket in Canton, just like the rest of the players on this list.

4. Zack Martin - 2014

The only reason Zack Martin hasn't been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is that he just retired from the game. The Cowboys drafted Martin with the 16th overall pick of the 2014 draft. He was a standout at Notre Dame, and Jerry Jones elected to bring him into the franchise.

Martin enjoyed a phenomenal 11-year career with America's team. He racked up seven first-team All-Pro nods, two second-team All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowl invites, and a spot on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. Martin will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

3. Emmitt Smith - 1990

Emmitt Smith is the only player on this list who did not spend his entire professional career with the Cowboys. However, it would be impossible to make a list of all-time great Cowboys first-rounders without including the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

The Cowboys picked Smith with the 17th pick of the 1990 draft, and the rest is history. He spent 13 seasons with the Cowboys, winning three Super Bowls, and then two years with the Arizona Cardinals.

2. Michael Irvin - 1988

Michael Irvin spent his entire 12-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys drafted the playmaker with the 11th pick of the 1988 draft. The move turned out to be a masterstroke as Irvin built a Hall-of-Fame-caliber connection with Troy Aikman. The duo was instrumental in bringing three rings to Dallas in the 90s.

Irvin's career was cut short due to injury in 1999, but his contributions in his 12-year career saw him inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

1. Troy Aikman - 1989

Troy Aikman is the best first-round draft pick that the Dallas Cowboys ever made. The Cowboys drafted Aikman with the first overall pick of the 1989 draft, and the rest is history. He spent 12 highly successful years with Jerry Jones's side.

Aikman retired as a three-time Super Bowl champ and a one-time Super Bowl MVP, and holds an array of franchise records, most of which still stand.