Say it until you're blue in the face, because it feels so damn good: Caleb Downs is a Dallas Cowboy. Nobody in the Cowboys' War Room thought it was possible, including Jerry Jones, which is exactly why they traded up to pick No. 11 to grab Downs before he could slip through their grasp.
The No. 2 player on FanSided's Big Board, Downs was seen as a player Dallas would have to move up several picks to get. It's nothing short of stunning.
The Cowboys could have turned on auto-draft and still finished with an A+ grade, but they put the pedal to the metal, trading down with the Philadelphia Eagles to pick up two additional fourth-round picks before selecting Central Florida edge rusher Malachi Lawrence at No. 23 overall.
It capped a fantastic night for Dallas -- one that started ghoulishly with the George Pickens trade speculation -- so let's pick out the biggest winners and losers.
Biggest winners and losers as the Dallas Cowboys dominate the NFL Draft
Winner: Jerry Jones
Jones doesn't make it hard to criticize him (understatement of the year), but you have to give credit where it's due, and he absolutely deserved the frozen margarita that he pulled up with to the post-draft press conference.
The Cowboys may have benefited from Downs falling, but it also took real discipline not to trade up after the Chiefs jumped to No. 6 for Mansoor Delane, a player many had pegged for Dallas. The Commanders took Sonny Styles with the very next pick, and Jones didn't blink.
To think that Jones parlayed the Downs pick by fleecing Howie Roseman and then taking Malachi Lawrence, who the Cowboys admitted they would have taken at No. 20, is top-tier general managing.
Winner: Dak Prescott
Prescott is absolutely a winner from Night 1.
Drafting Downs -- and Lawrence, albeit to a lesser extent -- will make Prescott's life easier next season. While nobody should expect Dallas to trot out a top-five defense, it'll help everyone if the offense doesn't have to score 30 points every week to be competitive.
On top of drafting Downs, we learned that George Pickens is going to sign the franchise tag. It was initially expected that he signed it to facilitate a potential trade, but Dallas doubled and tripled down in its post-draft presser that it has no intention of moving Pickens.
By signing the tag, Pickens subjected himself to fines if he missed any of training camp. It seems the All-Pro receiver is going to be a full participant in the offseason program. That was not the expectation 24 hours ago.
Loser: Marist Liufau
Liufau's stock was already trending down. It's never a good sign when a new defensive coordinator wants to change your position, and it was announced shortly after Christian Parker was hired as DC that Liufau will make the switch to an outside linebacker (pass rusher) from off-ball linebacker.
Already behind Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku, the former third-round pick will now have to fend off Malachi Lawrence for snaps. Not to mention, James Houston is well-liked in the building, and former second-round pick Sam Williams is back on a one-year deal.
It does not bode well for Liufau that Dallas used a first-round pick on Lawrence. Depending on what the Cowboys do on Days 2 and 3, Liufau might be on the roster bubble come Saturday evening.
Winner: Christian Parker
In his introductory press conference, Parker described the nickel position as "a guy who if you were playing football on a Saturday afternoon in the neighborhood, he's your first-round draft pick."
That is Caleb Downs in a nutshell. Not the most physically intimidating player or most athletic, but the best pound-for-pound football player and the smartest player on the field.
Both Stephen Jones and Brian Schottenheimer confirmed after Round 1 that Downs will start in the nickel. He'll assuredly wear more hats than that, but Parker has to be over the moon that he has the guy who will unlock his scheme.
Loser: Malik Hooker
Look, there is nothing wrong with preparing for the future. And Downs starting in the nickel bodes well for Hooker as a potential starter next to free-agent signing Jalen Thompson.
However, Downs is going to fill multiple roles, and with Parker looking to get younger and more athletic, it would not surprise if Hooker finds himself in a part-time role in the final year of his contract.
Winner: DaRon Bland
Did the Cowboys technically draft a starting cornerback in Downs? Yes. However, they've already said that they have no plans to move Bland inside. In other words, there is no one to threaten Bland's status as one of Dallas' boundary corners.
Had the Cowboys drafted Mansoor Delane, Bland would be loser No. 1 in the article. While the former All-Pro has a lot to prove in 2026, he can at least put his head on the pillow knowing that he doesn't have anyone to threaten his status as a starter. All he has to do is stay healthy.
Winner: DeMarvion Overshown
Similar to Bland at cornerback, Overshown benefits from the Cowboys not drafting a linebacker. Now, they have a third-round pick and four fourth-round picks to change that -- and odds are they will -- but anyone they draft (likely) won't push Overshown out of the starting lineup.
Having said that, Overshown isn't in the clear yet. It would send quite a message if Dallas packages pick No. 92 and some Day 3 capital to move into Round 2 for a linebacker. And the front office might revisit a trade for a veteran after the draft.
He's a temporary winner, but a winner nonetheless, as his position went untouched.
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