As we near the midway point of the 2026 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys have plenty to be worried about. While they need to focus on righting the ship this year, we have the bandwidth to look ahead to the future. Help will come in the 2027 NFL Draft, but Dallas' arsenal of picks is starting to lose value.
Barring any future trades, the Cowboys are down to just four picks in 2027: the lesser of their 1st-round pick or the Green Bay Packers', their original 2nd-rounder, the Pittsburgh Steelers' 4th-round pick, and the New England Patriots' 7th-rounder.
Ahead of Week 8, let's look at each of these picks and where things are projected. There's still plenty of time for all of this to change, but we're starting to get a sense of who the playoff contenders are and aren't this year.
And who makes the playoffs could have a big impact on Dallas' picks.
Dallas Cowboys' 2027 NFL Draft picks as of Week 8
Packers 2027 first-round pick (Micah Parsons trade)
Right now, with Green Bay 4-3 and holding a head-to-head win over 3-4 Dallas, it seems likely that the Cowboys will be sending their own 1st-round pick to the Jets (courtesy of the Quinnen Williams trade) and then using the Packers' pick themselves.
Based on the current NFC standings, Green Bay would make the playoffs as the last Wild Card team. That's a huge detail because the draft order for playoff teams is decided by postseason results, not the regular-season record.
So if Green Bay has the same record as the 8th-place team, then goes on a run in January, that pick's value could drop from 19-20 to the bottom of the round.
Naturally, the Cowboys want Green Bay's record to be as bad as possible. But at the very least, we'd love for them to miss the playoffs and keep that pick 18th at worst.
Thursday Night's game may not be much help toward that goal, as the Packers host the Panthers. While Carolina is feisty this year and fighting to keep their top spot in the NFC North, the short week should favor the home team, and the Panthers are fresh off a humiliating loss.
Steelers 2027 fourth-round pick (Broderick Jones trade)
Pittsburgh is 5-2 and probably shocked to not be leading the AFC North with that record, let alone looking up at the Cleveland Browns. As it stands, the Steelers are in for a battle royale to finish the year, as all four teams in that division are currently above .500.
This Sunday is a huge one with the Browns-Steelers rematch. Cleveland took the first game, so Pittsburgh needs this badly. The Cowboys would gladly see it go the other way, hoping that the Steelers eventually get squeezed out of the AFC playoff picture and give Dallas a nice Day 3 pick.
Patriots 2027 seventh-round pick (via Nate Thomas trade w/ Houston)
New England is currently staring through the fence among AFC contenders, sitting in eighth place despite a 4-3 record. The Bills are starting to run away with the AFC East at 5-1, so the Patriots may have to rely on a Wild Card spot.
Again, Dallas would love to see none of these three teams in the postseason for improved draft value. Obviously, we're far more concerned with the Packers' pick and even the Steelers' over this one. But given the role that a guy like Ryan Flournoy currently has on the roster, we should never dismiss the importance of any draft opportunity.
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