This is usually the time in the draft process where mock drafts become stale. We’ve seen a handful of names routinely mocked to the Dallas Cowboys at pick No. 20, and they really haven’t changed much over the last month.
However, we know that the Cowboys have no problem drafting outside the consensus and do have a tendency to reach to fill needs. And if they don’t select Mansoor Delane at No. 12, we could easily see them take another cornerback at No. 20, given their need.
But who might be available at that spot who isn’t named Avieon Terrell or Colton Hood? Here is one under-the-radar cornerback prospect that the Cowboys could be targeting in Round 1.
San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson could be a draft steal for the Dallas Cowboys
If the Cowboys are dead set on drafting a cornerback at No. 20 (or even in a small trade back), one name to know is Chris Johnson from San Diego State. While he doesn’t have the big-school experience of a Hood (Tennessee) or Terrell (Clemson), he checks just about every single other box.
Johnson was the second-highest graded cornerback (91.2) in college football in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just 185 yards in coverage all season and did not give up a single touchdown.
Johnson is also a very reliable tackler with just 11 total missed tackles over the last three seasons and racked up 14 run stops. His 83 solo tackles over the last two seasons are the most among any cornerback prospect in this year’s draft.
One of the knocks on Johnson is his less-than-average arm length (30 5/8”) and that would have typically removed him from the Cowboys’ draft board. But with the recent signings of Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick, it’s pretty clear that they are adjusting their thresholds at cornerback with Christian Parker now running the show on defense.
But despite the average arm length, Johnson tested as a supreme athlete at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at 193 pounds, and he scored very well in the jumps. According to Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Johnson tested as the 52nd most athletic cornerback (out of 2,822) since 1987.
Chris Johnson is a CB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.82 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 52 out of 2822 CB from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/u1NM1dInPy pic.twitter.com/IptDkKgXSj
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 18, 2026
Athleticism is only one part of the equation for a cornerback. Production is the other. In his 11 games during the 2025 season, he allowed fewer than 20 receiving yards in eight of those games. He also recorded four interceptions, including two pick-sixes. That season earned him the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year Honors in the Mountain West Conference.
There are just so many things to like about Johnson and his draft profile that we could go on and on, such as his experience as a high-level gunner on San Diego’s punt team. That’s obviously not why you would consider him in Round 1, but it helps paint the picture of just a darn good football player who will be an asset to his team at the next level.
If the Cowboys want to pick a defensive back outside of the general consensus, don’t be surprised if Johnson is the target at No. 20. He’s got all the traits that Christian Parker wants in his outside cornerback and his stickiness in coverage and willingness to tackle make him a pro-ready player despite coming from a smaller school.
Johnson is one of the best cornerback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, and given how much his stock seems to be rising over the last few weeks, don’t rule him out going inside the top-25 picks and potentially to Dallas.