The Dallas Cowboys and fans can finally put their full view on the 2026 NFL Draft after their draft slots have been set in stone.
A Carolina Panthers loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams locked the NFC South champions with the 19th pick in the draft.
The Green Bay Packers thrilling loss at Soldier Field locks them into the 20th draft spot, and thanks to the Micah Parsons trade, that pick belongs to the Cowboys.
Dallas’ own pick sits at 12, so Will McClay & Co. will have two picks in the top 20 to try and get this team back to the playoffs.
I figured locking in the picks means we can revisit those draft slots to see just how the Cowboys have fared throughout history when selecting at those spots.
This article will focus on the 12th pick in the draft.
Picking Well at 12
The Cowboys have picked at the 12th spot in the NFL draft just four times since 1960, and two of those picks have come in the past five years.
Their very first selection at pick 12 was DT Danny Noonan in 1987, but he didn’t have nearly the impact of the next three picks.
WR Alvin Harper, 1991
Alvin Harper was drafted by the Cowboys in 1991, and he immediately became the perfect complement to superstar WR Michael Irvin.
Harper was a big target for QB Troy Aikman across the middle of the field, and had the long speed to outrun defenders on deep routes.
Aikman and Harper once connected on a 94-yard post for a touchdown in a playoff game versus the Green Bay Packers. That is still the longest postseason completion in team history.
Harper finished his career with 191 receptions for 3,483 yards and 21 touchdowns.
His 18.2 yards per reception is still one of the most impressive in Cowboys’ history.
Harper made so many big plays during the Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1990s that it’s difficult to believe he didn’t perform well at all after signing a new contract in free agency with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His career fizzled in Tampa, but he will always remain a great piece of Cowboys’ history from the 12th slot in the draft.
LB Micah Parsons, 2021
The Cowboys had their next opportunity to draft from the 12th slot after they traded down from 10 to 12 in 2021 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia selected WR Devonta Smith, and the Cowboys selected LB Micah Parsons.
We will never know if the Cowboys knew the pass-rush demon that Parsons could become, or if they really drafted him for his off-the-ball talents.
Parsons was a home run pick, and before being traded to the Green Bay Packers, he was on pace to shatter sack records in Dallas.
The former Nittany Lion isn’t lying on training tables in Green Bay by choice, as he was sidelined for the rest of 2025 with a torn ACL.
Parsons is the type of selection that you don’t get rid of, but the return of defensive tackles Kenny Clark and eventually Quinnen Williams plus the extra first round pick soften the blow a bit.
No longer having a defensive force like Parsons definitely affected the 2025 season, and the Cowboys will try to find his replacement in 2026.
OL Tyler Booker, 2025
To find the next time the Cowboys picked 12th in the draft, one needs only to look at last season.
With the 12th pick, the Cowboys selected their eventual starting right guard, Tyler Booker.
Booker immediately stepped in to replace a retired Zack Martin, and he didn’t skip a beat.
Martin left big shoes to fill, but the rookie from Alabama was not fazed, and had one of the best rookie seasons from a guard in recent memory.
The 12th pick has been good to the Cowboys going back to Alvin Harper, and continues to treat the team well up to 2025.
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