The Dallas Cowboys spent the early weeks of their offseason searching for a replacement for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was relieved of his duties just two days after America's Team finished the 2025 campaign ranked 30th in the NFL in total yards allowed, surrendering 377.0 per game, and dead last in scoring, giving up 30.1 points per contest.
After a surprisingly patient process, the Cowboys ultimately landed on 34-year-old Christian Parker, who spent the last two seasons as the defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, a hire that has Dallas fans everywhere extremely excited.
The focus now, of course, is getting Parker some new players to work with, and most are hoping the Cowboys will use both of their first-round selections in the 2026 draft on defensive talent. Dallas, of course, has its own first-round pick and also holds the Green Bay Packers' selection as part of the Micah Parsons trade. And the Cowboys certainly need to make those two picks count, as they sent their second-round pick to the New York Jets in the Quinnen Williams trade and their third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the George Pickens deal.
Our good friend Cody Williams at FanSided recently constructed a three-round mock draft, and while he does have America's Team using both picks on defensive players, some could take issue with the fact that the secondary wasn't addressed. And two of their biggest rivals scoring some of the best DB help this upcoming draft has to offer might not help matters.
The Dallas Cowboys get screwed in FanSided's three-round mock draft
The statement above certainly isn't meant to be a knock, as Williams has the Cowboys taking Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 12 overall and Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 20, both of whom are excellent choices and could conceivably contribute immediately, as both positions undoubtedly need an upgrade.
Again, the issue is that he doesn't have the Cowboys taking a defensive back, which is undoubtedly an area of concern, as Dallas surrendered the most passing yards in the NFL this past year at 251.5 per game. Now, perhaps Williams is confident that Dallas will add some solid DB help when free agency begins in March and won't need to add that kind of help early when the draft rolls around in late April. And that would obviously be great for the Cowboys.
What wouldn't be, however, is if a couple of Williams' other projects come to fruition, as he has the New York Giants using the No. 5 overall pick on LSU's Monsoor Delane, who many believe to be the top cornerback in this class. And then, he has the Washington Commanders using the No. 7 overall pick on Ohio State's Caleb Downs, who many believe to be the top safety in this class.
Like the Cowboys, both the Giants and Commanders had massive issues on the defensive side of the ball in 2025, with New York ranking 28th in total yards allowed at 359.5 per game and Washington bringing up the rear in 32nd at 384.0.
The Giants weren't nearly as bad against the pass at 214.2 yards per game, ranking 16th, but when a player like Delane is available, it's difficult not to pull the trigger. Dan Quinn's Commanders, on the other hand, definitely have to be thinking defensive back, as they ranked 28th in the league in allowing 242.5 passing yards per game. And as Williams mentions, Downs genuinely does feel "like the type of player that Dan Quinn will be completely enamored with in Washington."
There's no guarantee any of these picks will play out this way, of course, but if the Cowboys don't get Parker some significant DB help to play into his strengths, and their rivals add some of the best DBs in the draft, there could be some significant backlash.