While the Dallas Cowboys will almost certainly address the defense with both of their 2026 first-round picks, Jerry Jones knows better than to roll the dice too much. Drafting a project or rolling the dice on a player with injury concerns could do more harm than good for Christian Parker's defense.
The main culprit of this is Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy, who was once linked to the Cowboys pretty frequently, but his hopes of ending up in Dallas have decreased throughout the pre-draft process, namely due to his torn ACL that saw him miss all of 2025 and opt out of the combine.
However, that hasn't stopped ESPN's Mel Kiper from looking into this potential pairing in his latest mock draft. With the 12th pick in his new mock, Kiper had Jerry Jones looking past the red flags and taking McCoy, as the Bengals took LSU corner Mansoor Delane with the 10th pick.
Jermod McCoy should have no place on the Dallas Cowboys' draft board anymore
Following the NFL combine, The Fort Worth Star Telegram's Nick Harris strongly implied that McCoy is all but off of Dallas' draft board because it seems that Jones does not want to chase project players like him during this three-year window with Dak Prescott under contract.
It's backfired before, and the Cowboys simply can't afford to roll the dice again. But clearly Kiper missed the memo, as he doesn't seem fazed at all by the ACL injury.
At full strength, the 20-year-old is an elite cornerback and one of the top defensive prospects in this draft, but he isn't. He's aiming to be a full go at his Pro Day, but if the question marks about his health persist, he could slide to the back half of Round 1, and maybe to the second round.
McCoy's film is elite, but not having any new tape on him since 2024 is a bit concerning. Taking a chance on him early would be worth the risk for a lot of teams, but not for a Cowboys defense that had the league's worst pass defense in 2025. They need more of a sure thing like Delane, who was off the board in this scenario.
At least with the 20th pick, Kiper had the Cowboys drafting Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen, which is actually something the fanbase can get behind. After missing out on Nakobe Dean in free agency, Dallas needs an elite linebacker who can help patrol the unit and complement DeMarvion Overshown.
As exciting as drafting Allen would be, Jerry Jones must err on the side of caution with McCoy. Medicals can be a major red flag that have seen players just as talented slip down the draft board, so if Jones and company are truly concerned, they shouldn't take Kiper's advice at face value and should instead draft the best defender on their board.