The 2026 NFL Draft is a few short months away, and the Dallas Cowboys have a lot to think about during this pre-draft process. Jerry Jones has a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the football, so the extra draft capital from the Micah Parsons trade will most likely come in handy for America's Team.
In this upcoming draft, the Cowboys need to invest most of their attention on the defensive side of the football. Their defense was historically bad in 2025, which was mainly because the pass rush dearly missed Parsons, but Matt Eberflus also had no idea how to utilize this personnel effectively.
Unsurprisingly, Eberflus was canned and now Dallas has a new defensive coordinator coming in in Christian Parker. The name of the game should be setting the 34-year-old and his defense up for success, and a good start would be to consider three of my favorite mid-round draft prospects.
The Cowboys need to target these prospects after the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft
Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Thieneman is one of my favorite prospects in this draft class. The All-American safety shined at Purdue before transferring to Oregon, which worked wonders for his draft stock, since he was one of the best players on on a defense that finished seventh in the nation in total defense this past year.
The 21-year-old is incredibly rangy and displayed elite instincts with the Ducks. He did a little bit of everything for Oregon's defense this past season, and his versatility would be the perfect fit for Parker's defense especially since Donovan Wilson will likely be on the way out in free agency.
Malik Muhammad, DB, Texas
Malik Muhammad's NFL Draft projections have been all over the place, with some mocking him as high as the second round and others mocking him as low as the fourth round. However, an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl has the Texas native's draft stock on the earlier end of that spectrum.
Muhammad will likely test well at the combine, and if you couple that with his college production and strong instincts, he's a pretty safe prospect. And for a Cowboys secondary that struggled mightily in 2025 and no longer has Trevon Diggs, it's smart to keep the Longhorns star in the Lone Star State.
Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
The man who filled Abdul Carter's shoes at Penn State isn't as productive or as technically sound as his ex-teammate, but he's still an absolute monster. Dennis-Sutton logged 17 sacks and 25 TFLs across his last two seasons, but a nightmare season in Happy Valley overshadowed his monster senior year.
His 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame makes him one of the most physically imposing power rushers in this draft class, even though he lacks athleticism in the pass-rush. Like Muhammad, he had a good week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, so his production and upside are more than worth taking a gamble on.