Dallas Cowboys: 5 worst draft picks of all-time

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Oct 11, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; LSU Tigers helmet lays on the sidelines against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. LSU Tigers defeated the Florida Gators 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Another blunder of a pick came in 1997 when the Dallas Cowboys were looking to find their next threat at tight end after a successful run with Jay Novacek. The team had their radars honed in on either Tony Gonzalez from Cal, or David LaFleur from LSU.

Gonzalez went at pick 13, so the Cowboys were left to trade up and take LaFleur, but reports later surfaced that the team (and quarterback Troy Aikman) actually preferred LaFleur over Gonzales, who ended up becoming arguably the greatest tight end ever.

LaFleur wasn’t necessarily a bad player, but he didn’t live up to his draft status. His rookie season consisted of him mainly staying in to block, and while he did a pretty good job of that, more is expected of a first round tight end.

His best statistical season came in 1999 when he recorded 322 yards on 35 receptions. He also had seven touchdowns that season, which was the best out of all tight ends in the NFC.

However, back problems started to slow him down and by 2001 he was waived because he couldn’t pass a team physical. The back issues for LaFleur actually started during his time at LSU, but Dallas took a chance on him anyway.

Next: 1. Quincy Carter

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