It is shaping up to be an interesting 2026 NFL Draft for the Dallas Cowboys. The pressure will be on Jerry Jones to nail the No. 12 and No. 20 selections in the first round, as the Cowboys won't be on the clock again until very late on Day 2, barring some kind of trade or maneuvering.
And although it feels like Dallas isn't all that far away from taking back over the NFC East, it still has some significant holes to address with what's left of free agency and the draft later this month. The focus will obviously be on bolstering the defense even more after the year they had in 2025.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFirst-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker will need every bit of talent that he can get, but that doesn't mean the Cowboys need to get out over their skis. In ESPN's latest mock draft, Dallas gets incredibly fortunate in Round 1, but then they made a few baffling decisions to follow that up.
Dallas Cowboys follow up first-round steal with head-scratchers in latest expert mock draft
The ESPN draft expert crew of Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates, in their latest three-round mock exercise, had a gift for the Cowboys with the first of their two Day 1 picks: Superstar Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. fell to No. 12, and Dallas obviously scooped him up.
Now, the Cowboys have been looking for an edge rush threat since infamously trading Micah Parsons last offseason. Although Bain isn't really the same kind of player, in some convoluted way, he and Rashan Gary could somewhat recreate him in the aggregate. Plus, Bain is an absolute stud.
Folks can say what they want about his length limitations, but it didn't slow him down in major college football. He is a young prospect with incredible bend and athleticism, so Bain should be able to make up for any measurable deficiencies. If he's there at No. 12, the Cowboys should sprint in the card.
But in this very same exercise, Dallas made a peculiar decision at No. 20. They took Missouri defensive end Zion Young, doubling up on a position that may not be viewed as quite as big a need after taking Bain. But here's how they justified the move:
"A double dip at edge in the first round for Dallas? Why not? A dominant pass rush unlocks any defense, and this would be the Cowboys' third major investment at the position this offseason (Bain at No. 12 and the trade for Rashan Gary)," Yates wrote.
It should be noted that Young has the versatility to slide inside, and teams rotate edge rushers quite frequently now. But the Cowboys badly need secondary help, so staying put and drafting Young slightly out of range instead of adding a corner or safety, or perhaps trading back, is baffling.
Finally, Dallas addressed its cornerback need in Round 3, taking Julian Neal from Arkansas. Not only is he a big and long cornerback who can effectively cover the boundary at the NFL level, but Neal has lightning speed and is an incredibly smooth mover who isn't afraid to help out in the run game.
Two of these three selections are undoubtedly strong. But the Cowboys might have been better suited trading back from No. 20 and getting a second and a third-rounder instead of Young. That way, they could have addressed the linebacker and safety positions as well instead of double-dipping.
While it is incredibly hard to hate a Dallas mock draft that has Bain falling to No. 12, if the Cowboys were planning to take another edge rusher later in Round 1, they could have made a bigger swing for Oregon's Dillon Thieneman with their first pick. Something other than two defensive end in 10 picks.