Welcome to the tenth(?!) edition of my annual DRAFTPLEX featured content series, Drafting Dallas! In this exercise, I assume front office duties to mock draft the full seven rounds for my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, using my DRAFTPLEX Board and the current official draft order.
The first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era had everything and the kitchen sink — high-octane offense, atrocious defense, eye-popping special teams, a bitter divorce, wheeling and dealing, welcome additions, and tragic loss — all culminating in a middling end result of seven wins, nine losses, and the rare tie.
The offseason has followed suit, headlined by the dismissal of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and the celebrated hiring of Christian Parker as his successor. Parker, along with Schottenheimer and the front office, wasted little time putting together a defensive coaching staff more aligned with his vision and aggressively churning the roster to better execute upon it.
The two most impactful transactions on the defensive side occurred via trade with long-time rivals. After unloading superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons ahead of the 2025 season for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks, Dallas went back to the well with Green Bay to acquire edge Rashan Gary for a 2027 fourth-round pick. And just a year into a four-year, $80 million extension, the Cowboys jettisoned defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a 2026 third-round pick.
The Cowboys were also active in free agency, inking versatile safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, sticky cover corner Cobie Durant, and interior pluggers Otto Ogbonnia and Jonathan Bullard, among others. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Dallas rewarded last year’s free-agent find, running back Javonte Williams, with a new three-year contract after a productive prove-it year in hopes that his upward trajectory continues.
But, while there is a lot to feel good about with what the team has done this offseason, there remain glaring needs to address, not to mention another potentially dicey contract situation to sort out, with breakout receiver George Pickens currently attached to Dallas by a non-exclusive franchise tag. At least for the former, there’s an immediate opportunity at hand to solve for those needs — through the 2026 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, I present to you what I believe is a realistic scenario that could play out based on my personal evaluations, my impressions of pre-draft reports, and how the board may fall.
Let’s go on the clock with Drafting Dallas 2026!
Round 1 | Pick 12
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
As this year’s draft cycle has progressed through the key milestones, the possibility that the Cowboys will find themselves in a veritable no man’s land at #12 has become cause for increasing concern. The cream of the crop in this year’s class is very light and with a desperate need for more defensive help, they could be on the outside looking in when it comes to landing an impact defender from the very top of their board.
That said, all of the outcomes are on the table for Dallas — sit tight and wait their turn, manifesting at least one blue-chip defender to slip through; hold and be wiped out, then be faced with having to dip into the second tier of defensive prospects or make a luxury pick they can’t really afford for an offense that’s arguably set; hope that the phone rings with an opportunity to bail out, but compromising the value of their highest draft position in the process; or making the call and chasing the player they covet up the board, sacrificing valuable draft capital to secure elite talent.
Of those scenarios, the two that I would optimistically forecast playing out would be Dallas seeing do-it-all safety Caleb Downs make it through the minefield to #12, which would either be a gift from the football gods or some earthly combination of positional value, an understated athletic profile, and old-fashioned NFL Draft nonsense. Alternatively, provided that the first five picks were to pass without his name being called, I could see Dallas being aggressive to fill their most urgent need and pursuing uber-athletic linebacker Sonny Styles, most likely in a deal with the Cleveland Browns at #6.
Since I’m not specifically projecting trades in this exercise, it’s Downs who is Dallas-bound.
Trade Considerations:
Arvell Reese, OLB, Ohio State (at #3)
David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (at #3)
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (at #6)
In the Mix:
Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
Watch Out For:
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
Round 2 | Pick 20 (via Green Bay Packers)
Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri
The Cowboys may not be as light on the edge as they are at linebacker, but they certainly could be considered lean. Between Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Sam Williams, James Houston, and Tyrus Wheat, there’s enough of a platoon to play with today, but Dallas needs more talent to field the kind of pass rush waves that are all the rage in today’s NFL. And I think they will see to that early.
That said, the type of edge that expects to be in play for Dallas is where it gets interesting. Akheem Mesidor, Cashius Howell, and T.J. Parker have all gotten run in draft circles as being possible targets, while Keldric Faulk has been heavily speculated as the favorite option for Dallas, possibly even at #12.
I do think all of these names are in play, but my under-the-radar edge pick, at least where the media is concerned, for the Cowboys at #20 is Zion Young. There are similarities between him and Faulk (who probably gets drafted higher) in terms of physical profile, ability, and scheme versatility, but it’s his alpha energy, motor, and toughness that stand out. He has the right temperament for the trade — and that’s something that I think has been missing from the Dallas defense.
Also Considered:
Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
In the Mix:
Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
Watch Out For:
CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
Round 3 | Pick 92 (via San Francisco 49ers)
Jaishawn Barham, OLB, Michigan
Much like with their positioning at #12 overall, I worry that Dallas is going to be in a dead zone at #92 when it comes to grabbing a starting-caliber linebacker, at least from among the more prototypical off-ball linebacker prospects. This is why trading up early to draft Sonny Styles makes a ton of sense.
However, if Dallas doesn’t move, there are a couple of interesting, hybrid-leaning fits that I suspect could be in play. In my 2026 NFL Draft Super Mock, it was undersized edge Romello Height. For this exercise, I’m projecting a player that was drafted three picks earlier — linebacker-turned-edge Jaishawn Barham.
Both players would provide juice off the edge, but where I favor Barham is his experience as an off-ball defender and developmental upside as a pass rusher. I think this combination would allow Dallas to deploy him in a number of ways and give opposing offenses different looks without changing personnel.
There’s also the established draft pipeline between Dallas and Michigan to consider. It hasn’t worked out well — at all — thus far, but perhaps with Barham, the Cowboys could finally strike it rich.
Also Considered:
Romello Height, OLB, Texas Tech
In the Mix:
Bud Clark, S, TCU
Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina
Keyron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn
Round 4 | Pick 112
Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU
I think an immediate double-dip is on the table for the Cowboys between #92 and #112, with a similarly versatile, second-level defender being my projection at the top of the fourth round. Harold Perkins Jr. is one of the more complicated evaluations in this draft — an outstanding athlete and disruptive defender, but undersized and without a natural position at the next level.
That said, the Cowboys are reported to have had multiple touchpoints with Perkins during the draft process, so there’s reason to believe the team could have a plan for his talent and translatable skills.
Also Considered:
Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin
J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCU
Round 5 | Pick 152
Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
I’m not of the mind that Dallas has to draft defense exclusively early, but I also don’t think it’s off-base for the draft to be five rounds in before Dallas even thinks about offense. Once they do, offensive line is where they will most likely look to address the depth chart, specifically offensive tackle, where the future is anything but certain beyond this season with Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele.
Dametrious Crownover is a massive right tackle prospect who the Cowboys have been linked to and reportedly met with during the draft process. Crownover definitely looks the part, checking a lot of boxes physically, but he also comes with a lot to clean up in terms of technique and penalties. Draft and develop would be the plan here.
Also Considered:
Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati
Josh Cameron, WR, Baylor
Kendal Daniels, LB, Oklahoma
Round 5 | Pick 177 (compensatory)
Kendal Daniels, LB, Oklahoma
Continuing the theme of second-level versatility, I found oversized safety turned linebacker Kendal Daniels to be a really interesting watch and have him on my personal shortlist of Day 3 options for Dallas, as evidenced by taking him under consideration with the pick prior. On my board, I started out with Daniels even higher, but I think opinions on his scheme fit and processing, along with his underwhelming testing numbers, could see him slide.
That said, having been confirmed as meeting with the Cowboys during the draft process, I think Dallas could see traits to tap into and potential to unlock with Daniels.
Round 5 | Pick 180 (compensatory)
Avery Smith, CB, Toledo
Cornerback is a position the Cowboys could look to target early, but if the board doesn’t fall in their favor, then l certainly expect them to circle back late to add another name to the secondary mix. As far as I can tell, inside-outside corner Avery Smith hasn’t been directly connected to the Cowboys, but could be a consideration in this range given Christian Parker’s familiarity with the Toledo program.
Round 7 | Pick 218 (via Tennessee Titans)
Carsen Ryan, TE, BYU
I gave some consideration to drafting for one of the skill positions at various junctures during Day 3, but ultimately, the Cowboys don’t have an obvious need and could go the entire draft without adding a playmaker of any sort. That said, the one role I did come back to was a third tight end. I think Brevyn Spann-Ford is ready to move into the TE2 role alongside Jake Ferguson, putting former second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker on the bubble.
I added Carsen Ryan to the DRAFTPLEX Board as part of my second wave of evaluations and personally like him more than a number of tight ends who were invited to the Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, and NFL Scouting Combine. With a solid combination of blocking ability and pass-catching prowess, I think he finds a home late on Day 3 or possibly as a priority free agent.
Priority Free Agents
Rahsul Faison, RB, South Carolina
Hank Beatty, WR, Illinois
J. Michael Sturdivant, WR, Florida
Jordan Hudson, WR, SMU
Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston
Kobe Baynes, OG, Kansas
Cole Brevard, NT, Texas
Nyjalik Kelly, EDGE, UCF
Wydett Williams Jr., S, Ole Miss
Josh Moten, CB, Southern Miss
I also wanted to highlight names that were in consideration for me in making the late-round picks for Drafting Dallas that could be potential priority free agents. These include players I drafted for Dallas in my 2026 NFL Draft Super Mock that I didn’t draft for them here (Koziol and Moten), players they have reportedly met with during the draft process (Sturdivant, Hudson, and Kelly), and players that I personally like and have as draftable, but who may not be drafted (Faison, Beatty, Baynes, Brevard, and Williams).
Jason Pruett
DRAFTPLEX