The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of work to do to revamp a defense that was one of the league's worst in 2025, but perhaps the biggest move has already been made.
The Cowboys brought in Christian Parker to run their defense, and although Parker is going to be a first-time defensive coordinator in the NFL, he's been learning from arguably the best to ever do it since all the way back in 2021.
Parker is a disciple of Vic Fangio, maybe the best coordinator the league has ever known, and there are a few things that are absolutely essential to the Fangio defense. Although it's Parker installing the defense and calling the plays, the DNA from Fangio's defense will undoubtedly be there.
And there is one common thread for all of the best Fangio defenses that makes the direction for the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft extremely obvious for the Cowboys.
Christian Parker hire makes Dallas Cowboys' decision to draft LB Sonny Styles 12th overall a no-brainer
There are few positions more important to the type of defense Christian Parker is going to run than the linebacker position. Cornerback will likely be near the top of the list as well, but having an off-ball linebacker who can do everything is the catalyst to take these defenses to the next level.
When you look at what made Fangio's defenses great through the years, you're going to find the common thread of elite linebacker play.
The 2018 defense with the Bears before he was hired by the Denver Broncos as their head coach, Fangio had Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan in the middle.
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl two seasons ago, Zack Baun played at a Defensive Player of the Year level. And Christian Parker got to see that impact up close.
It would be the perfect fit for the Dallas Cowboys to go after Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, who might be the second Ohio State off-ball linebacker to come off the board in the 1st round of this year's draft. The Buckeyes had the enviable duo of Styles and Arvell Reese this past season, and those two guys will be competing for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award at the next level right away.
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Styles would be the perfect fit for the Cowboys, whose struggles at the linebacker position this past season led them to swing an in-season trade with the Bengals for Logan Wilson. That was a short-term move, so getting another rangy playmaker to be the man in the middle of the defense will be essential.
This is a great draft class at the linebacker position, and with the Cowboys picking 12th overall, Styles might be the best overall player on the board regardless of position. He's ranked 5th overall on Daniel Jeremiah's initial top-50 big board, so this might even be an aggressively optimistic hope for the Cowboys.
Styles is a former safety who converted seamlessly to the linebacker position, and put together an incredible year this past year at Ohio State. He's just constantly around the football with 17 tackles for loss combined over the last two seasons, and over 180 total tackles. His speed, range, athletic traits, and attacking instincts are off the charts.
This is exactly the type of all-around defensive weapon Christian Parker will covet in the middle of his defense, and picking him 12th overall (assuming he's on the board) would be the no-brainer of the draft for Dallas.