With just one month before the 2026 NFL Draft, you might as well not leave any stones unturned when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and potential mock draft scenarios.
For almost the entire offseason, the Cowboys have been projected to use both of their first-round picks on the defensive side of the ball, but Brian Schottenheimer has recently pushed back on that idea a little bit. Maybe it's just coachspeak, or maybe they're trying to actually warn the fan base.
We'll see if the Cowboys can come to an agreement before the 2026 NFL Draft on a long-term deal for star receiver George Pickens, but if the Micah Parsons situation has taught us anything, it's that the team will draw a proverbial line in the sand and not cross it.
Jerry Jones is not afraid to strike a deal. We're going to take a look at a 3-round mock draft scenario where the Cowboys get a value at receiver they can't pass up at 12 overall, and then deal Pickens to the highest bidder for more darts to throw.
The Dallas Cowboys steal a WR, trade away George Pickens in 2026 NFL mock draft
Round 1 | 12th overall: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
It's easy to say that any offensive player in the 12th overall slot (or even with either of the Cowboys' current 1st-round picks) would be a disaster scenario for the team. But a lot of folks would have said the same thing back in 2020 with the selection of CeeDee Lamb.
With Schottenheimer talking about Dallas not passing up on a great offensive prospect if they're on the board at 12, it goes without saying that Carnell Tate would qualify. The possibility of Carnell Tate being on the board at 12 already feels somewhat far-fetched, so if he is there, the Cowboys have a lot to think about.
They could get a stud receiver prospect on a rookie deal, and then perhaps look at whatever offers they might have on the table for George Pickens after that (or what offers might come flooding in). You get a cost-controlled playmaker to pair up with CeeDee Lamb, and you can still get a ton of draft value out of Pickens.
Round 1 | 20th overall: Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
There has been some significant talk lately about UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence shooting up draft boards all over the NFL, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him go from being an intriguing 2nd-round player to now being a guaranteed 1st-round target for some teams.
And the Cowboys at pick 20 feels like an ideal landing spot.
Lawrence has elite athletic traits, and is coming off of three productive years at UCF. He racked up 11 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and a couple of forced fumbles this past season. The Cowboys already traded for Rashan Gary to give a boost to their defensive front, but adding an athletic pass rusher like Lawrence could set that group off.
Projected Trade With Patriots
Round 1 | 31st overall: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
In this scenario, the selection of Carnell Tate opens up the possibility for the Cowboys to add a third potential dart in the 1st round of this year's draft. After seeing some recent wide receiver trades, Dallas could easily get prime value for someone like George Pickens, and the Patriots have been rumored to be interested in AJ Brown all offseason.
Just because the Pats are interested in Brown doesn't mean they'd automatically be interested in Pickens, but it wouldn't be surprising, either.
And with the first of the two picks they get in the trade, the Cowboys land a much-needed playmaker for the cornerback position in Colton Hood. Dallas has done a good job of shoring up that cornerback position in free agency (Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick), but they wouldn't be able to pass up on a stud like Hood in the late 1st round.
Round 3 | 92nd overall: Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCU
With the third-round pick they got in the trade with the San Francisco 49ers earlier this offseason, the Cowboys finally address their linebacker situation. And with Kaleb Elarms-Orr, they get one of the most athletic options in the class.
Elarms-Orr is part of one of the deepest linebacker classes we've seen in some time. And while a deep class of prospects doesn't mean the Cowboys should wait until the second day to take one, it could incentivize them to go after other positions early on.
Dallas can add early impact and great value by taking advantage of this class's depth on Day 2.
Round 3 | 95th overall: Bud Clark, SAF, TCU
To close out this three-round prediction, the Cowboys stick with the TCU program with back-to-back picks here in the third round. They just addressed the linebacker position with Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and here they get a playmaker at safety in Bud Clark.
Clark is such a fun player to watch, and a magnet for the football. It will be a lot of fun to see which players the Cowboys covet in this class for their defensive backfield, because that's the primary area of expertise for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Whoever he's banging the table for in this draft will be fascinating.
And Bud Clark could very well be one of those guys. He had 15 interceptions at TCU, including seven over the last two years combined.
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