Where there's smoke, there's fire, and the smoke is billowing with the Dallas Cowboys leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Cowboys have been at the center of some major trade rumors as April 23 has inched closer, with many experts and insiders predicting that if there is one team that could jump up and trade into the top 10 picks overall, it would be Dallas.
In fact, the Cowboys traded up to the 6th overall pick in not just one, not two, but three mock drafts from prominent NFL Draft analysts on the same day. If this is something that's really being discussed behind the scenes, it seems Jerry Jones is doing anything but playing his cards close to the vest.
Dallas Cowboys predicted to trade up to 6th pick in three major mock drafts
Todd McShay, Dane Brugler, and Mel Kiper Jr all released mock drafts today
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 15, 2026
All three had the Cowboys trading up to No. 6. https://t.co/X97P3AdULi
It seems to be growing towards a consensus opinion that the Cowboys will make a jump up from the 12th overall pick into the top 10 overall selections, possibly even giving up the 12th and 20th overall picks to make that happen. That would be a hefty price to pay, especially in a draft class that seems to be thin on players at the premium positions.
With that in mind, there are plenty of players who fit the Cowboys' most immediate needs, players like Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, and David Bailey. Getting the best defensive player on their board, or one of the top 2-3 defensive players on their board, could be more important to Dallas than getting two players they just feel "okay" about.
Brugler's mock draft has the Cowboys trading up for Sonny Styles. McShay's mock draft has the same projection. Mel Kiper Jr.'s mock draft? You guessed it -- Sonny Styles.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was also recently on The Rich Eisen Show and talked about the Cowboys as a team generating some trade-up buzz in the days leading up to the NFL Draft.
You have to think there's more to this than just teams fabricating a story to make it seem like the Cowboys are going to get aggressive. Dallas might have laser focus on Sonny Styles, and the rest of the league is just letting that be known.
And frankly, telegraphing interest in Styles isn't the worst thing, because he'd be a great fit. And if they are trying to throw teams off the scent, they're doing a great job of it.
Regardless of what strategy they're using -- truth or deception -- the Cowboys have everybody talking with just about a week to go before the big night.