Keagan Smith previews and breaks down what you need to know about the Dallas Cowboys heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
Few NFL teams find themselves all strongly positioned heading into draft day than the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite trading away Micah Parsons for a haul of assets and dealing with one of the worst defenses in the league, America’s Team finished the 2025 regular season at 8-9. The Cowboys already showed immense upside with an elite offense and the team’s culture seems to have begun shifting under the guidance of head coach Brian Schottenheimer. After bringing in a new defensive coordinator and planning changes across that end of the ball, there’s a clear pathway to contending in the NFC East once again.
That journey starts with a pair of first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Nail those selections and Dallas could find itself in the mix to finally break the franchise’s longstanding curse.
Here are the details you need to know about the Cowboys’ draft capital before they’re on the clock this Thursday, plus a prediction and pick for the first round.
The Cowboys’ team needs on draft day? Defense, defense, and probably more defense.
Dallas easily ranked top 10 in offensive production last season based on both yardage and scoring amidst an excellent campaign from Dak Prescott and the star wideout duo of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. While the former is on the franchise tag and still seeking a new deal with his future somewhat uncertain, that doesn’t mean the sides won’t come to an agreement for the future. After locking down Javonte Williams in the backfield and already maintaining an above-average line, it’s clear that almost every weakness comes on the other side of the ball.
The defense didn’t fare nearly as well as the offense did last season, giving up an NFL-worst 511 points and the third-most yards to opponents. Their 12 takeaways were also the third-fewest, so there’s a clear need for playmakers on that end. Thankfully, the interior of the defensive line looks like one of the best in the league thanks to Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. Aside from those guys, one of the cornerback spots manned by DaRon Bland and an EDGE role for Rashan Gary, there are holes just about everywhere else.
So, the Cowboys are likely to hammer defensive picks in this draft. Which position those come at is up for debate, but having multiple picks gives them a ton of flexibility. The secondary clearly needs plenty of assistance given that they gave up more passing yards than any other team last season with the second-most touchdowns allowed through the air, and the back end particularly struggled with the worst net yards per attempt (7.2). The dream in that regard is probably Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who brings versatility and perhaps the best football IQ of any player in this draft. He can certainly provide an instant boost to any secondary he joins, but he’ll likely be off the board by No. 12 barring concerns about his medical history. Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is a favorite consensus pick in many mock drafts and brings great speed, but fellow corner Mansoor Delane out of LSU could also slip to this spot.
As for the pick at No. 20, one would assume that defense once again takes priority for Dallas. If the Cowboys go with a defensive back with their earlier selection, perhaps an EDGE like Auburn’s Keldric Faulk or Miami’s Akheem Mesidor could bring some appeal in the mid-first round.
The thing is, though, that it’s tough to tell exactly what this front office will elect to do. The flexibility afforded to them is almost unmatched in this draft given their multiple first-round selections, so a trade up for a top prospect or further back from either spot may be more likely than not depending on how the board shakes out. Especially given the context of the Cowboys’ other picks in the war chest — the lack of a second-rounder in particular — a trade back for additional assets makes plenty of sense. This isn’t the deepest draft by any means, but for a team with as many holes on defense as Dallas, the focus should be on taking as many bites at the apple as possible to shore up that side of the ball for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
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