Top 10 All-Pros for the Dallas Cowboys Since 2010

The Dallas Cowboys are not big spenders in free agency, but they seem to hit on their draft picks. The Dallas Cowboys have taken 10 All-Pros in the last 15 years with their first round selections. So with that remarkable feat, how would you rank these ten?

We are basing this off their impact as a Dallas Cowboys and the longevity as one of the top players at their position. While they’re all great, we have to start somewhere on the criteria.

10 – Byron Jones

5 seasons, Second-team All-Pro (2018), Pro Bowl (2018)

Byron Jones had a rough 2017, ranking 54th out of qualifying safeties with a 76.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. The Cowboys then chose to move Jones from safety to cornerback in 2018 and it proved well. He didn’t create an interception, but had a career-high in passes defended with 14 and registered 76 tackles. He went from being one of the worst safeties graded by PFF to the fifth-best corner by the same grade, leading to his lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection.

For longevity, Jones skipped out after the team exercised his fifth-year option and signed a 5-year deal with Miami in 2020. Jones would quickly fall into obscurity after injuries plagued his Dolphins career, and after the shortest time on the list with the Cowboys and just one second-team selection, he was the bottom of this list.

9 – Leighton Vander Esch

6 seasons, Second-team All-Pro (2018), Pro Bowl (2018)

Vander Esch made the second-team All-Pro the same year as Byron Jones. The defense likely doesn’t operate as well as it did without Vander Esch manning the middle. In his rookie year, Vander Esch finished with a franchise record for a rookie with 140 combined tackles, along with two interceptions in just 11 starts over 16 games. Of all the NFL, he finished third in tackles behind Colts linebacker Shaq Leonard and Packers linebacker Blake Martinez. Sean Lee had injuries to open up the opportunity for Leighton Vander Esch who made the most of his chance.

Vander Esch goes slightly above Byron Jones because his tenure was cut short due to no reason of his own. Byron Jones left the Cowboys in free agency, while Vander Esch was forced into retirement due to a neck issue. Had injuries finish his career early, he was on a trajectory to be much higher on this list.

8 – Tyler Smith

3+ seasons, Second-team All-Pro (2023), 2x Pro Bowl (2023-24)

Tyler Smith is the first current player on this list. Tyler Smith currently has the same second-team All-Pro honors as Jones and Vander Esch, but he has an extra Pro Bowl nomination. Tyler Smith has also done this with just three seasons under his belt, going into his fourth on the team. Across three seasons, Tyler Smith has played 3,140 snaps with only 13 holding penalties called against him.

Tyler Smith is easily the best offensive lineman the Cowboys have on their roster with recent retirements of Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. Smith has all the potential to climb this list in the next 5-10 years.

7 – Dez Bryant

8 seasons, First-team All-Pro (2014), 3x Pro Bowl (2013-14, 2016)

Dez Bryant was the person to revive the 88 number after Michael Irvin wore it in the 1990’s run. With Bryant receiving this honor upon entering the league, the expectations were already high. Byant did get to be a first-team All-Pro in 2014, an infamous year for Bryant. After setting the franchise record with 16 receiving touchdowns, along with 1,320 yards on an ironic 88 catches, Bryant’s season and the Cowboys’ championship aspirations came to an end with a controversial call in the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers. If you’re unaware, just Google the phrase “Dez caught it.”

Setting a franchise record in receptions and just an overall tenure in Dallas gives Bryant something to be proud of. 73 touchdowns, 531 catches, and nearly 7,500 yards with the Cowboys is impressive. However, I don’t believe he fully lived up to his 88 number and that’s why he ranks so low on the list. But with the ones above him, it’s no slight to 88.

6 – Ezekiel Elliott

8 seasons, First-team All-Pro (2016), 2x Second-team All-Pro (2018-19), 2x NFL rushing yards leader (2016, 2018)

It’s really hard putting Ezekiel Elliott at six. Elliott became the identity of the Dallas Cowboys for his prime. For two of his three All-Pro selections, Elliott led the league in rushing and for the other season, compiled 12 touchdowns on the ground. While his most recent run in 2024 was lackluster, every Cowboys fan fell in love with Zeke for his peak years coming out of Ohio State. Arguably, Elliott was one of the best running backs in the NFL for a 5-6 year period.

Elliott’s 83 total touchdowns as a Cowboy helps him land higher on this list than some of his peers. Many fans won’t remember him in a Patriots uniform in ten years, but remember him for electrifying AT&T Stadium.

5 – CeeDee Lamb

5+ seasons, First-team All-Pro (2023), 2x Second-team All-Pro (2022, 2024), 4x Pro Bowl (2021-24), NFL receiving yards leader (2023)

Much like Tyler Smith, CeeDee Lamb is still writing his story. The current 88 has three All-Pro selections in his first five years. We’ve seen tremendous growth for Lamb every year and at just 26 years old, he still has 4 years left in his prime. In his first-team All-Pro selection in 2023, Lamb broke Michael Irvin’s franchise record for receptions and receiving yards in a season. He did that by becoming the first player in NFL history to have at least 10 catches and 150 yards in back-to-back-to-back games. That’s not even to mention his second-team All-Pro selections having over 100 yards both seasons with a combined 15 touchdowns.

Lamb is showcasing exactly why he was given the 88 and in my opinion, might have already surpassed Dez Bryant in terms of legacy. Lamb still has some years to go on his extension from last summer, and if he’s able to contribute to a NFC Championship appearance, Lamb could be a standout on this list.

4 – Travis Frederick

7 seasons, First-team All-Pro (2016), 2x Second-team All-Pro (2014-15), 5x Pro Bowl (2014-17, 2019)

Travis Frederick, like Leighton Vander Esch, could be higher on this list if his career wasn’t derailed by injuries. Even if he retired from Guillain-Barre syndrome, Frederick was highly regarded as one of the best centers at the time. Outside of that 2018 year with his original diagnosis, Frederick was available for every game and every snap. It’s unreal that an offensive lineman didn’t miss one single snap in his playing career.

Frederick was also one of the least penalized in the NFL with only ten holding and four false start penalties against him in his six-year career. The most unreal stat is 2019 was considered a down year because he was coming off the Guillain-Barre diagnosis, and while he lost a lot of strength, he never had a single holding penalty or false start. On top of that, retiring as a Cowboy and being one of the men who led the charge of the resurged offensive line is a spot worthy enough for Frederick to be fourth on this list. One can only imagine if Frederick hadn’t gotten sick.

3 – Micah Parsons

4+ seasons, 2x First-team All-Pro (2021-22), Second-team All-Pro (2023), 4x Pro Bowl (2021-24), Defensive Rookie of the Year and Butkus Award (2021)

With the ongoing standoff in contract negotiations, it hurts to see a player ranking so high and not receiving his due from the front office. Micah Parsons is the heart and soul of the defense and has been an All-Pro three of his four years, and it would likely be four straight if it wasn’t for missing a month due to injuries last season. But to make the first-team All-Pro as a rookie says something, especially considering Parsons was moved from linebacker to defensive end due to injuries up front.

Parsons has 52.5 career sacks in his first four years and he hopefully remains a Dallas Cowboy for life. If Jerry Jones can pay Parsons, he could easily end up being #1 on this list when his career is over. Parsons is that special and what we’ve seen is only the tip of the iceberg with The Lion.

2 – Tyron Smith

13 seasons, 2x First-team All-Pro (2014, 2016), 3x Second-team All-Pro (2013, 2015, 2023), 8x Pro Bowl (2013-19, 2021), 2010s All-Decade Team

As we said Frederick helped the offensive line resurgence, it all began with Tyron Smith being taken in the first round of the 2011 draft. Tyron Smith only had five All-Pro selections in his thirteen seasons, but he could have easily had eight. He likely has even more if his career wasn’t hindered by injuries. There seemed to be a period from 2016-2023 when fans knew Smith would miss at least a handful of games. Despite that, when he was on the field, he was one of the best left tackles in the NFL.

Tyron Smith only had 39 holding penalties his entire career with Dallas. Tyron Smith protected the blindside of Tony Romo and Dak Prescott across two generations of Cowboys quarterbacks. Smith wasn’t giving an inch for the opposition and he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

1 – Zack Martin

11 seasons, 7x First-team All-Pro (2014, 2016, 2018-19, 2021-23), 2x Second-team All-Pro (2015, 2017), 9x Pro Bowl (2014-19, 2021-23), 2010s All-Decade Team

When I originally sat down to do this list, it didn’t don on me that everyone else has two or fewer first-team All-Pro selections… except for Zack Martin. To have not one, not two… but SEVEN first-team All-Pro selections is unheard of. To put this in perspective, only Aaron Donald, Peyton Manning, and Ray Lewis have this many All-Pro selections this century.

Martin was not only constantly available, but he was consistently at the top of the NFL at his position for nearly his entire career. Martin could be regarded as one of the best offensive guards of all-time, not just in the Cowboys’ history.

Fans can breathe a sigh of relief the team didn’t take Johnny Manziel that draft, and instead, a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Who is the best All-Pro the Dallas Cowboys have had since 2010? Leave us your opinion down below.