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Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Sean Martin, David Howman, and Jess Haynie.
Who’s your favorite prospect for Dallas to take with picks 12 and 20, and what are your reasons why?
Mike: With pick 12, give me Sonny Styles. He’s the kind of modern chess piece Dallas has been missing. He’s big, physical, and versatile enough to be a box safety, match tight ends in coverage, and be a dime linebacker without tipping the call. After a season of communication issues and missed tackles, Styles brings range, violence, and role flexibility that lets you play more two-high looks while still fitting the run cleanly and disguising pressure.
With pick 20, I’m taking Jermod McCoy. He’s a true boundary corner profile with quick feet, competitive at the catch point, and comfortable in press or off-man. Dallas needs another outside-capable cover player so they’re not forced into constant safety help and soft zone. McCoy gives you a starter-caliber skill set with the kind of recovery speed and instincts that translate early, and he fits the play tight and contest identity this defense has to get back to.
Haynie: This may be a fantasy given how his draft cycle is going, but Mansoor Delane is the one blue chipper who feels like could be there at #12. He would immediately change the feel of this CB room, hopefully allowing Bland to get back to the slot. If Delane, Caleb Downs, and the top LB/EDGE prospects are gone, then I’m trading down. As for #20, based on needs and who is probably available, I think you’d have to look at either C.J. Allen or Jacob Rodriguez. Some will call either a reach, but the Cowboys have backed themselves into a corner at ILB. Again, I’m all for trading down at both spots given how this draft class stacks up to our needs.
Sean: I like Jess’ thinking on Delane, and if I had to take my guess of which top prospect beyond that has the best chance of making it to #12, it would also be in the secondary with Caleb Downs. I may be in the minority, but I wouldn’t rule out a linebacker at #12 either, even if it means Allen or Rodriguez, who most fans are still deciding if either is worth the 20th overall pick. A new name I’ll throw in the ring that fills a need, has a high floor, and much higher ceiling to go with it, is Miami defensive end Akheem Mesidor. Landing him at #12 would make any linebacker option at #20 more palpable, and possibly still leave options at cornerback like Colton Hood.
Howman: Caleb Downs has been the dream for me for some time, and uneven testing numbers may have made that dream actually attainable. A blue chip EDGE like Rueben Bain or David Bailey would also be great with that 12th pick. At 20, I’d like the Cowboys to get a nickel or EDGE, whichever one they don’t get at 12. That said, I’m extremely open to the idea of taking a tackle if there’s someone valuable who falls to 20.
The Cowboys now have a third-round pick at number 92. If Dallas takes a cornerback and linebacker in the first round, what position do you want to see them address with pick 92?
Mike: Grabbing a good offensive lineman at 92 looks a good choice here, preferably a tackle-flex piece who can start the year as swing depth and compete immediately. The simple reason is you can’t go into a season with real question marks at both tackle spots. Terence Steele’s consistency has been uneven, and Tyler Guyton still looks like a projection with volatility week to week. If either one wobbles, the entire offense gets dragged into third-and-long and the playbook shrinks.
Receiver is also tempting because George Pickens is a question, especially if he’s playing under the franchise tag and the long-term plan is cloudy, but you can survive receiver uncertainty if your quarterback is upright. You can’t survive leaky edges. So at 92 should be about investing in a tackle or guard who can protect Dak Prescott from the worst-case scenario and keep the offense functional.
Haynie: Well, there’s still nearly a month of free agency activity that could change this answer. But based on current needs and where the depth seems to be in this draft, I would strongly consider an offensive pick at OT, TE, or WR. Any edge rushers who could help you right away will likely be gone, and the safety room feels pretty full after free agency. I’d still look at those spots if a great talent falls, or even double-down with another linebacker pick. But on offense, you need a swing tackle upgrade today, and hopefully a replacement for Steele in the next few years. You need a better WR4 than Mingo or Turpin. And you could use another option at TE as Schoomaker’s in his final year. I’d even consider a RB for a more well-rounded backup than Davis or Blue.
Sean: Even if the Cowboys nail picks #12 and #20, which some combination of a linebacker and cornerback/safety would likely make us feel like they did, the wait until pick #92 in the third round is going to feel like a long time with a lot of talent coming off the board. This forces a look at positions that have some depth in the draft class to answer this question, and for me that would be defensive line and tight end. Since defensive line goes unaddressed in the first round in this scenario, sticking with defense would be the lean for me, but trying to sneak in a pick for the offense at a versatile position like TE where a rookie won’t be asked to do too much too soon is a solid idea as well.
Howman: I kind of hinted at it already, but give me an offensive lineman. Terence Steele isn’t going anywhere in 2026, but he’s not the long term solution at right tackle. I’m still not convinced Tyler Guyton is the answer at left tackle, either. Give me a developmental, traits-y lineman in the third who can grow into a starter.
If you were the GM and wanted to trade up from pick 12 to get your player, who would you want to trade up for?
Mike: The only trade up I would make as a GM should be for Arvell Reese. He’s the kind of impact defensive piece who can change Dallas’ speed, physicality, and versatility overnight. But even then, the better play is probably the opposite, trade down if the moment is right. Dallas needs volume as much as it needs star power, and moving back a few spots to pick up an extra Day 2 asset lets the coaching staff address corner, linebacker, and the offensive line without forcing reaches. Unless Reese is clearly falling into that can’t pass zone and the cost is modest, I’d keep the discipline, let the board come to them, and use a trade-down to widen the runway for the full rebuild.
Haynie: Well, going back to the first name on my fantasy list from question one, it’s Sonny Styles. This is partly due to Dallas’ glaring need at inside linebacker, which was arguably their biggest issue going into the offseason and remains unaddressed. But Styles is also about as good a LB prospect as we’ve seen in a long time, like Jaylon Smith or Myles Jack without the medical concerns. He’s uniquely talented compared to every other LB in the classes, and one of the true elites this year.
Sean: Styles is yet another really good pick from Jess, so in the interest of changing it up, I’ll go with his Ohio State teammate Arvell Reese. The Cowboys would have to potentially come up as high as the second overall pick, which is costly, but pass rush can be the cure to so many other issues for a defense. The Cowboys learned this both with and without Micah Parsons, have seemingly missed out on Maxx Crosby as a Parsons replacement, and need a defense that can play with the lead if their offense does its job in 2026. Reese is the #1 prospect in this class that can help them do that.
Howman: Trick question: I wouldn’t. In my opinion, the only position worth trading up for in the first round is a quarterback. The Cowboys don’t need a quarterback, so there’s no reason to trade up. If anything, I’m trying to trade down if I’m the GM, but that’s a different conversation.
