Jerry Jones still has work to do on defense, but he has a month until the Cowboys are on the clock with the 12th and 20th picks.
The biggest signing in free agency thus far is Jalen Thompson, the former Cardinals safety. While he was one of the Cowboys' reported targets, they still need to hit some home runs in the draft and ideally turn those picks into Week 1 starters.
Pro Football Focus released a new mock draft that helps the Cowboys significantly in the secondary. In terms of Day 1 starters, the result is encouraging, as Dallas comes away with LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 12 overall before grabbing Oregon All-American safety Dillon Thieneman at pick No. 20.
Drafting Delane and Thieneman would leave the Cowboys ailing at edge rusher, but it'd be hard to have any qualms with it since it would fortify the secondary.
The Dallas Cowboys ace PFF's latest mock draft despite passing on a pass-rusher
Here's what Gordon McGuinness had to say about the Delane pick:
"Given the Cowboys' changes on defense, they have several viable paths here. And they could do far worse than grabbing the top cornerback in the draft class. Delane earned an 89.1 PFF grade in man coverage and allowed just 14 catches as a primary coverage defender in 2025."
The Rashan Gary trade wasn't as perceived as well as Jones hoped. The former Packer is an anchor in run defense, but he's not prolific at rushing the quarterback. The move doesn't look nearly as bad after Gary agreed to take a pay cut, but Dallas must add another edge.
Unless Jones still has an ace up his sleeve -- like trading for Alex Highsmith or Jonathan Green -- the Cowboys would eye someone like Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor. He's projected to go somewhere in the second half of Round 1, so that would likely mean missing out on Thieneman, one of the most athletic safeties on the board.
The Cowboys go back to the secondary for their second first-round pick, adding a player whose stock exploded at the NFL combine. Thieneman is more than just a great athlete, boasting a 91.1 PFF coverage grade (second best) and a 17.2% forced incompletion rate in 2025," McGuinness said of Thieneman.
With Da'Ron Bland taking a couple of steps down from his All-Pro breakout season in 2023, and now navigating his second left foot surgery in as many years, the Cowboys need more at cornerback, even after signing Cobie Durant.
Delane would go a long way towards solidifying the CB room, and the good news is that Dallas is taking care of its defense in free agency. That said, Jerry Jones hasn't afforded himself a ton of flexibility for the draft.
Adding a veteran pass rusher before then would make drafting Delane and Thieneman an absolute dream haul.