NFL teams need a lot of things to go right for a dynasty to happen. The Dallas Cowboys were a dynasty in the early to mid-90s, a Super Bowl-winning fiefdom built on superior drafting.
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson redefined the process of plucking talent from the collegiate ranks. Their trade value chart became a handy tool for every franchise in the league, but nobody used it better than Jones and Johnson.
They went trade crazy after dealing star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings during a 1-15 season in 1989. Quarterback Steve Walsh fetched more draft currency when he was dispatched to the New Orleans Saints a year later.
Yet of all the wheeling and dealing they performed, Jones and Johnson turned trading into an art form during the 1991 NFL draft. The college-to-the-pros pipeline had already been kind to their rebuilding efforts after yielding Troy Aikman in ’89, followed by Emmitt Smith in 1990.
Johnson and Jones knew the value of stars like Aikman, Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin, a rare holdover from Tom Landry’s era. You can’t win championships without marquee talent, and you can’t still lay claim to being “American’s Team” without marketable stars. The ‘Triplets,’ were the shop window, the razzle dazzle, but the Cowboys needed some foundational players to underpin the poster boys ahead of the ’91 season.
Dallas found seven players from 18 selections who would become key contributors to three Super Bowl wins in four years. Two of those players had Hall of Fame potential before injuries and off-field issues took their toll.
The Cowboys maximised their chances of improving the roster by dealing in volume. A slew of trades left Jones and Johnson with the luxury of three first-round picks, a trio of third-round choices and four selections in the fourth.
Dallas was slated to pick 11th in the opening round, but sent that pick, a second-rounder and three roster bodies to the New England Patriots for the first-overall selection:
The consensus was the Cowboys had moved up with the express purpose of taking Notre Dame wide receiver Raghib “Rocket” Ismail off the board. Indeed, Jones was bullish about getting a deal done with Ismail before draft day, according to Timothy W. Smith of the New York Times:
‘We’re in discussion with them right now,’ Jones said of Ismail and his representatives. ‘We hope that we can reach an agreement.’
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When asked what Dallas would do with the pick if it couldn’t sign a player before the draft, Jones said the Cowboys fully intend to sign Ismail.
There was a fly in the ointment, though. Specifically, Ismail being tempted by a big bucks offer to go and play in the Canadian Football League:
Ismail and his representatives still have a contract on the table from the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, which would pay the receiver in a range from $6 million over two years to $20 million over four years. The negotiations with the Patriots reportedly began with Ismail asking for $15 million over five years and New England offering $8 million over five years.
History has a different take on what the Cowboys really wanted to do with the top pick. Jones sounded like a man gunning for the ‘Rocket,’ but Sport Illustrated‘s Peter King says Maryland was always the apple in Johnson’s eye:
The Cowboys wanted Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland, not Ismail, and they would have swapped places with Atlanta, which owned the third pick, if they could have been assured of landing Maryland at No. 3, and the Falcons could have been assured of signing Ismail. Neither event was certain, so Dallas kept the top pick and selected Maryland with it.
It makes sense Johnson would have targeted Maryland since he’d coached him at the University of Miami. Maryland had replaced two other dominant defensive tackles, Jerome Brown and Cortez Kennedy, who left the Hurricanes for the NFL in 1990.
More important, Maryland was a perfect fit for the type of defense Johnson had brought to Dallas. He’d replaced Landry’s famed “Flex” scheme, where two defensive linemen aligned a couple of steps off the ball, with a college-style 4-3 based on speed over size. Johnson’ system, along with some nuances added by coordinator Dave Wannstedt, helped the Cowboys field the 10th-ranked defense in the league and improve to 7-9 in 1990.
Maryland wasn’t the biggest defensive tackle, but he didn’t waste time splitting gaps and rarely ran out of steam in the pits. He would become the anchor of a platoon of rapid and disruptive defensive linemen who kept the Dallas defense consistently dominant during the decade.
The player was also a great quote on his big day: “Only in America can a fat kid from Chicago become the first pick in the NFL draft.”
Johnson turned his attention to an equally burgeoning offense with his next first-round pick. He used the 12th selection to take Tennessee wide receiver Alvin Harper. This was a key addition to a unit undergoing significant change in 1991.
Norv Turner had replaced Dave Shula as offensive coordinator. Turner’s background was deeply rooted in the ‘Air Coryell’ passing game he learned from Ernie Zampese with the Los Angeles Rams during the ’80s. Don Coryell’s philosophy was all about attacking defenses vertically. Turner needed a true field-stretcher to put the scheme into practice.
Harper, a high-jumper in his younger days, was the quintessential deep threat. His burning speed and leaping ability meant Turner and Aikman could conjure a big play through the air at any moment. Harper’s presence also meant defenses had to keep at least one safety deep. This made doubling Irvin, clamping down on Jay Novacek underneath, or stacking the box against Smith even harder.
The Cowboys were close to unstoppable when Aikman’s three primary targets clicked.
More trades followed the selection of Harper. Another deal with the Pats swapped the 14th pick for the 17th and an extra choice in the fourth round. Dallas then sent the 17th selection to Washington for the 20th-overall pick and a fifth-rounder.
Johnson flipped the 20th choice for another tidy haul, second-, third-, and fourth-round picks, by exploiting the Detroit Lions wanting defensive tackle Kelvin Pritchett. Getting a second-rounder back was significant because Johnson knew exactly who he wanted, linebacker Dixon Edwards.
King explained how the Cowboys shrewdly took the long route to get the player they desired. It began when a trade offer from San Diego Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard was met with a cool response from Dallas director of player personnel Bob Ackles.
Atlanta Falcons’ GM Ken Herock was the next to try his hand. Johnson’s response was one of a wily bargain hunter at the peak of his powers:
2:43 p.m.: Herock offers Johnson three picks—one each in the second, fourth and seventh rounds—for that 20th pick. ‘Is this a firm deal? The two, four and the seven for our one, right now?’ Johnson asks. Herock says yes. Johnson pauses to think. He is happy. In five seconds, he will agree to the deal. In three seconds, another phone will ring. But now, the voice of Robert Blackwell, the Cowboys’ representative at NFL draft headquarters, comes over the speakerphone with a reminder that time is short: ‘One minute.’
2:44 p.m.: With Ackles and Johnson on phones, Dallas vice-president Mike McCoy picks up the one that’s ringing. It’s Detroit Lion director of pro personnel Kevin Colbert. The Lions want that 20th pick. ‘Hold it, Jimmy!’ McCoy says. Johnson puts Herock on hold. Colbert offers second-, third- and fourth-round picks. Johnson and Cowboy owner Jerry Jones look at each other and nod. ‘Let’s do it,’ Johnson says, and then he gets back on the line with Herock: ‘Got a better deal, Kenny. Sorry.’
Thirty seconds. It’s getting risky now, because if the Cowboys don’t announce a choice before their allotted 15 minutes have expired, or if the team that Dallas trades with doesn’t make its choice in time, the next team in the draft order, the Kansas City Chiefs, jumps ahead of them. Dallas and Detroit won’t get the language of the deal worked out in time, so Johnson tells McCoy to find out which player the Lions want, and the Cowboys will take him for Detroit, swapping him for the promised three picks a few minutes later. The Lions want Ole Miss defensive lineman Kelvin Pritchett. ‘P-R-I-T-C-H-E-T-T!’ Johnson says with urgency into the speakerphone.
The Cowboys’ conduct veered into something of a grey area here. Drafting a player for another team is borderline, but Johnson had positioned himself to get Edwards and also added to his already swelling war chest of picks.
Pritchett was sent to the Lions and that 20th pick, originally the 14th before the trades with New England and Washington, had netted the Cowboys five picks. A second-round choice, one third-rounder, a pair of fourth-round selections and a pick in the fifth. Not bad for draft work.
Edwards came off the board in Round 2 and would quickly become a starter on Wannstedt’s unit. Like most players on the Cowboys’ D’, Edwards was undersized for his position, but he could fly to the ball and packed a wallop on the run.
Another speedy linebacker, Godfrey Myles, was taken in the third round. Myles passed away from a stroke in 2011, but he won three Super Bowls during six seasons in Dallas and was a demon on special teams.
Perhaps the pick of this class was another third-rounder, offensive tackle Erik Williams. Plucked from little-known Central State in Ohio, Williams was a malevolent mauler who became a linchpin on the great Cowboys’ offensive lines of the era.
Williams was no angel away from the field, and a car wreck in 1994 took the edge off his dominance. He was never the same force again, but for a while no tackle was more intimidating than #79.
The Cowboys had already scored big with five players who would be vital to their success. Yet two late-round steals elevated this draft class into one of the greats of history.
Nobody thought Leon Lett would draw much interest after playing his collegiate football at obscure Emporia State in Kansas. Lett was also undersized and ended his senior year nursing an ill-timed leg injury.
The Cowboys still took notice, though. How they recognised Lett’s hidden talents is pure scouting serendipity:
But Cowboy scout Jeff Smith, who was at Emporia State that winter reviewing films of NAIA games, happened to sec Lett dominating a pickup basketball game. Knowing that Johnson loved big athletes—Lett was a spindly-legged 6’6″ and 260 pounds—Smith filed a report on Lett, and Dallas defensive-line coach Butch Davis followed up on the report by looking at Emporia game film himself. It was a grainy and shadow-filled film, but Davis could see Lett get one sack, make nine tackles and force a fumble against Kearney (Neb.) State.
Lett bulked up in Dallas and soon became one of the more dynamic members of a deep rotation of relentless front-line warriors. He could play tackle or end and was a mismatch in one-on-one situations because of his swift first step and how fast he shifted his frame to the ball.
Lett’s legacy is often tainted by his contributions to NFL Films’ goofs and follies reels. Celebrating too early cost him a touchdown in Super Bowl XXVII and made Don Beebe a hero, while Lett’s slip and slide in the snow against the Miami Dolphins in ’93 is revisited for a few laughs every Thanksgiving.
Lett was guilty of the occasional brain fart, but he was also dominant when fully focused. His performances against the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers during the playoffs after the ’95 season propelled the Cowboys to another Super Bowl.
The Cowboys won that Super Bowl 27-17 at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two interceptions by a player long considered the weak line of the Dallas secondary swung the game.
Larry Brown belied his status as a 12th-round pick from TCU by becoming a starter as a rookie and playing on three title-winning teams. Brown was also a boom-or-bust cornerback who could be beaten but made his share of big plays.
The most famous of those plays denied the Steelers and made Brown rich, albeit with a helping hand from Neil O’Donnell.
Before he became an unlikely Super Bowl MVP, Brown emerged as one of the gems of a draft class that helped the Cowboys improve to 11-5 in 1991. A road win over the Chicago Bears gave Dallas a first playoff victory since 1982 and was ample proof Johnson’s young, rebuilt team had championship potential.
Dallas Cowboys 1991 Draft Picks
- 1. (1) Russell Maryland, DT, Miami (FL)
- 1. (12) Alvin Harper, WR, Tennessee
- 1. (20) Kelvin Pritchett, DT, Mississippi
- 2. (37) Dixon Edwards, LB, Michigan State
- 3. (62) Godfrey Myles, LB, Florida
- 3. (64) James Richards, G, California
- 3. (70) Erik Williams, OT, Central State
- 4. (97) Curvin Richards, RB, Pittsburgh
- 4. (106) Bill Musgrave, QB, Oregon
- 4. (108) Tony Hill, DE, Chattanooga
- 4. (110) Kevin Harris, DE, Texas Southern
- 5. (132) Darrick Brownlow, LB, Illinois
- 6. (153) Mike Sullivan, G, Miami (FL)
- 7. (173) Leon Lett, DT, Emporia State
- 9. (235) Damon Mays, WR, Missouri
- 10. (264) Sean Love, G, Penn State
- 11. (291) Tony Boles, RB, Michigan
- 12. (320) Larry Brown, CB, TCU
Legacy
Of course, not every pick Johnson and Jones made thirty years ago proved to be gold. In fact, the majority of the Cowboys’ 18 choices failed to pan out. James Richards didn’t earn a spot on the final roster, Tony Hill played only two years, while Curvin Richards was cut after fumbling twice against the Bears in the 1992 regular season finale.
Some missteps are inevitable in every draft, and the 11 the Cowboys got “wrong” can’t detract from the otherwise excellent work they produced. Rarely does a team land seven core players in one class.
Maryland, Harper and the rest underpinned headline acts, Aikman, Irvin and Smith. They also played crucial roles in all three phases.
Turner’s offense wouldn’t have been as effective without Harper’s threat to burn defenses deep. The O-line wouldn’t have earned the nickname, “Great Wall of Dallas” without Williams.
His success against Reggie White, first against the Eagles, then the Packers, became the stuff of legend. Admittedly, Williams would never have bossed White if hands to the face had been a more enforceable penalty in the ’90s, but being on the right side of this matchup was crucial to the Cowboys’ ownership of the NFC for most of the decade.
Maryland and Lett joined a group that already included Tony Tolbert, Jim Jeffcoat, Jimmie Jones and Tony Casillas. Another smart trade would add Charles Haley into the mix in ’92, when no team in the NFL could match the Cowboys’ weaponry along the defensive line.
Aside from Haley, Lett was arguably the most naturally talented Cowboys D-lineman from the era. Persistent violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policies eventually cost Lett his career, a real shame because he was as talented as any defensive tackle of his generation, including Warren Sapp.
Lett and Maryland fit the Dallas defensive scheme like a glove. So did Edwards and Myles. They also thrived on special teams units that consistently made big plays. Edwards forced a crucial fumble from Alan Grant early doors against the San Francisco 49ers in the ’92 NFC Championship Game.
Drafting based on scheme fit, rather than status and overall talent, served the Cowboys well. Like when Myles helped Wannstedt craft a gameplan to finally overcome the Detroit Lions. The Lions and their run&shoot offense eviscerated the Cowboys in two lopsided victories during the ’91 season, including winning 38-6 in the Divisional Playoffs.
Wannstedt needed some new answers for a trip to Detroit in Week 10 of the following season. Using speedsters like Myles made all the difference:
In certain situations Wannstedt would switch to a regular 4-3, or to a 4-2 nickel. He would bring in 242-pound Godfrey Myles, who swears that he ran a 4.36 40 in college at Florida, as a special-coverage linebacker. And on long-yardage downs he would go to a speed package, featuring four cornerbacks strung across the field in coverage, the regular free safety, James Washington, at middle linebacker, and two more safeties blitzing from the outside. There would be no 341-yard passing performance this Sunday.
Detroit managed just a solitary field goal thanks to a Cowboys defense that intercepted three passes and sparked a 37-3 triumph. Wannstedt’s unit ranked No. 1 in the NFL in 1992 when Lett, Myles and Edwards appeared in sub-package defenses in all 16 games. Brown made 15 starts and intercepted a pass, while Maryland anchored the front, registered 2.5 sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown against his hometown Bears.
The lessons of the Cowboys’ draft haul from 1991 are clear. Volume is king. More is better, so deal yourself into more picks and more chances to find the right players.
Speaking of players, don’t make finding them a choice between best available vs. need. Instead, combine both by choosing the best players available who fit your schemes.
If you can add a clutch of those players to a roster already containing a few stars, you’ll be well on your way to building a dynasty, my friend.
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