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A rare opportunity has arrived at the perfect time for the Dallas Cowboys. For all the frustration surrounding them, the 2026 NFL Draft represents something they haven’t had in years: leverage. After another uneven season, Dallas enters the draft armed with two top-20 first-round picks. Those include the Packers’ No. 20 selection following Green Bay’s Wild Card loss to the Chicago Bears. That reality fundamentally changes the Cowboys’ offseason calculus. Instead of patchwork fixes and bargain hunting, Dallas has the draft capital to reshape its identity. If the goal is to stop wasting elite quarterback play, this draft is where the pivot must finally happen.
The Cowboys’ 2025 season ended with a disappointing 7-9-1 record under head coach Brian Schottenheimer. It marked their second straight year outside the playoffs. On the surface, the record tells one story. Dig deeper, and the contrast between units is jarring.
Dak Prescott delivered one of the most productive seasons of his career. He threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns while operating one of the league’s most efficient passing attacks. Week after week, the offense put Dallas in position to win. Week after week, though, the defense gave it right back.
Dallas finished last in the NFL in passing defense and points allowed. That’s a historically poor outcome for a franchise that once prided itself on defensive playmakers. The offseason trade of Micah Parsons and the retirement of Zack Martin loomed over the year. However, it was the secondary’s inability to hold up and the front seven’s lack of consistent pressure that defined the collapse. Against playoff-caliber teams, Dallas simply couldn’t get stops. By December, the late-season skid felt inevitable.
There is no ambiguity about Dallas’ needs entering the 2026 NFL Draft. This is a defense-first operation.
Edge rusher, cornerback, safety, and linebacker all require immediate attention. This comes after a season that exposed depth issues, aging veterans, and inconsistent performers. With two first-round picks (No. 12 and No. 20), Dallas has the ammunition to add cornerstone defenders rather than rotational projects.
The controversial Parsons trade now looks like a strategic reset. The Cowboys used the acquired 2027 first-rounder to help land Quinnen Williams. That stabilized the interior defensive line a it. The remaining draft capital offers a chance to rebuild the perimeter and restore balance to a roster that leaned too heavily on Prescott, George Pickens, Javonte Williams, and CeeDee Lamb.
Wide receiver could enter the conversation if the aforementioend Pickens walks in free agency, but that is a secondary concern. This draft will be judged almost entirely by how much it improves a defense that was arguably the worst in the league.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Cowboys’ 3-round mock draft based on the PFF 2026 NFL mock draft simulator.
The Cowboys’ possession of the Packers’ No. 20 pick stems from one of the most impactful trades of the 2025 offseason. Just before the season began, Dallas sent...
