The Dallas Cowboys boasted a top-five scoring offense last season, but missed the playoffs due to their defense ranking dead last in scoring, giving up 30.1 points per game. They’ve taken the first steps to rebuilding their defense by trading for Rashan Gary and signing Jalen Thompson, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

The Cowboys hold eight draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, three of which come in the top-100 and four of which come in the top-150. They also have two first round selections after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last offseason. They have the draft capital to improve this roster, but they’re going to need to make sure they hit on all of them.

Today, I’m breaking down the Cowboys’ biggest draft needs and identifying some players they could target at each position given the draft capital they have available.

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Cornerback

It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys had the worst passing defense in the entire NFL last season. They ranked 32nd in passing yards allowed per game (251.5), 32nd in opponent yards per pass attempt (7.7), 30th in opponent completion percentage (68.5 percent) and 30th in opponent yards per completion (11.2).

Because of their struggles, Dallas had a rotation door at cornerback all season long. Across all 32 NFL teams, only 123 players played over 150 coverage snaps. That’s an average of 3.8 per team. But Dallas had seven players play over 150 coverage snaps in 2025, and even their snap leader, DaRon Bland with 461, ranked 49th in the league in coverage snaps played. Nobody gave more cornerbacks significant playing time this season than Dallas.

Here’s a table of every corner that played 150+ coverage snaps for Dallas last season and some of their stats, per PFF.

To put this into a little more perspective, Reddy Stewart, who allowed the lowest passer rating of this group, ranked 96th in passer rating allowed among all NFL corners with 100+ snaps. Trevon Diggs, who had the highest passer rating allowed, ranked 155th. There were 156 corners who qualified. That means of the 60 players with a 99.5+ passer rating allowed, 11.7 percent of them played for Dallas.

Most of these corners are set to return to the Cowboys next season, and the only big addition they’ve made at corner this offseason was Cobie Durant, who they signed from Los Angeles. He’s a solid pickup, coming off a year where he allowed a 58.6 completion rate with three picks and three pass breakups, but he also gave up five touchdowns and nearly 500 yards. He’s probably better than anyone they have, but they need to make more additions at cornerback.

Most teams need either a slot corner or an outside corner, but Dallas needs both. There’s a very real chance they use two top-150 picks on cornerbacks, so here are some of the guys they could target in the draft.

Dallas’s Potential CB Targets

Given where the Cowboys are picking in the first round (12 and 20), it’s unlikely Mansoor Delane falls to them. They would have to trade up to get him, so we’re going to highlight some of the other first round corners they could target.

The top guy on their list should be Jermod McCoy. He’s an incredible athlete who just ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash with a 38-inch vertical at Tennessee’s pro day, but he’s also a really good player. In 2024, McCoy allowed a 50 percent completion rate and two touchdowns with six pass breakups and four interceptions. The only knock on McCoy is he missed all of 2025 with an ACL tear, but it’s been over a year since his injury, and he looks pretty close to 100 percent now. If he were healthy this year, he might’ve been a top-eight pick.

Outside of Delane and McCoy, there isn’t a corner I’d consider taking at 12, but at 20, there are a few. Namely, Avieon Terrell. He just turned 21 years old, but has over 1,700 snaps of college experience, and during his three-year career at Clemson, Terrell allowed a 51.4 percent completion rate, 770 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions and 16 PBUs. Like most of Clemson’s defense, he didn’t have the 2025 he envisioned, but his potential is through the roof.

It would probably be a bit of a reach, but Colton Hood could also be in play at No. 20. The 21 year old took over as Tennessee’s CB1 with McCoy out all year and played well, allowing 28 of his 52 targets to be caught for 38 yards and one touchdown while picking off one pass and breaking up five more. He was viewed as a day two prospect, but he lit up the combine with a 4.44-second 40-yard dash and a 40.5-inch vertical. Most have him going at the end of the first, but Dallas could take a shot on him at 20 if they like him.

With no second round pick, Dallas’ next selection come at No. 92. There will still be plenty of good options here, including someone like Devin Moore from Florida. He’s coming off a very strong 2025 campaign where he gave up a 56.7 completion rate and 189 yards while picking off two passes and breaking up three more. He’s starting to rise up draft boards, so getting him at 92 would be a pretty sweet deal for Dallas.

Some other third round prospects to watch are Julian Neal, Daylen Everrett and Chandler Rivers. Any of these four guys would be great fits in Dallas, but if I’m the Cowboys, I’m dead set on taking one in the first round and possibly filling out the position in the third or fourth.

Edge Rusher

On top of having the worst passing defense in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys really struggled to put pressure on the quarterback. They ranked 22nd in the NFL with 2.1 sacks per game, and that’s really only because Jadeveon Clowney turned it on at the end of the year. They were in the low-20s range for most of the year.

Clowney led the team with 8.5 sacks (4.5 of which came in the last two weeks when Dallas was already eliminated from the playoffs), but behind him, only one player registered more than five sacks last year, and that was Osa Odighizuwa, who had 5.5.

Dallas did make a move this offseason, trading for Rashan Gary, but they should not be done adding to their edge rusher room. Gary is coming off three straight 7.5+ sack seasons, but he didn’t have a single sack in his final nine games of 2025, and once Micah Parsons went out, he was basically a non-factor.

I would be pretty shocked if Dallas didn’t use their two first round picks on an edge rusher and a cornerback, so since we’ve already highlighted the cornerback group, let’s take a look at some pass rushers that should be on Dallas’s radar.

Dallas’s Potential Edge Targets

There’s a very low chance Rueben Bain Jr. actually slides to Dallas at No. 12, but his Miami teammate, Akheem Mesidor, could very well be in reach for Dallas at No. 20. Mesidor is turning 25 years old very soon, but he’s coming off an incredibly productive year where he totaled 67 pressures and 12.5 sacks – which was actually better than Bain’s 10.5. Age is obviously a concern, but he’s still a first round talent.

Keldric Faulk is the opposite of Mesidor. He’s only 20 years old, but he doesn’t have a lot of college production. However, he’s 6-foot-6, 285 pounds and is a great athlete, and teams love to picks guys like him in the first round and bet on his upside.

T.J. Parker is another guy who could be in play at No. 20. Like I said earlier, Clemson’s defense was very disappointing in 2025, but Parker has 16 sacks and 92 pressures in his last two seasons. His production dipped in 2025, but he was better than Peter Woods was. There will still be a lot of teams interested in him in the back half of the first round.

If Dallas wants to target an edge rusher in the third round, Keyron Crawford will probably be at the top of their board. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-4, 253 pounds, but he’s quick off the line and outperformed his teammate, Keldric Faulk, who is a projected first rounder, in 2025.

L.T. Overton and Anthony Lucas are two other power four guys they could target in round three. Overton’s Alabama career was underwhelming, but he’s 6-foot-5, 278 pounds and ran a 4.66-second 40 time. There’s still some upside there. Lucas didn’t test at the combine or at his pro day, but he’s got an above average frame with 34 3/8 inch arms, which is well above the median for edge rushers.

If Dallas leaves the first round without a pass rusher, something went seriously wrong. I don’t love the depth at edge, and with no second round pick, their hopes of getting an impact edge rusher in the draft would be dashed.

Middle Linebacker

The Dallas Cowboys also have a gaping hole at middle linebacker. Shemar James and Kenneth Murray led the charge for them last season, but there’s a reason they traded for Logan Wilson, who ultimately ended up retiring, at the trade deadline. With Wilson retiring, the Cowboys need to find a quality replacement for him in the draft.

I was pretty surprised Dallas didn’t target a middle linebacker in free agency. I know they didn’t have a ton of money to spend, but there were some quality players that went for less than $10 million per season. Alex Anzalone, Leo Chenal, Quincy Williams, Dre Greenlaw and others all signed for cheap, but Dallas has had their eye on the draft this whole time.

Luckily for Dallas, this is a very good year to need an off-ball linebacker in the draft. I don’t see them targeting one in round one, given their needs at corner and edge rusher (unless Sonny Styles somehow falls into their lap at 12), but there are some really good ones available in the middle rounds.

Dallas’s Potential LB Targets

Kyle Louis is my favorite middle round linebacker. He’s 6-foot-1, 210 pounds and is a machine, racking up 179 tackles, 10 sacks, six interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles over the last two seasons. He also tested very well at the combine with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump. He may not be there at No. 92, so they may have to trade up, but I don’t think it would cost too much. Probably into the early 80s.

Harold Perkins is a super intriguing option for Dallas in round three or four. He was great as a freshman, but LSU struggled to find the proper roll for him. However, he’s an incredible athlete and just ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He’s an excellent blitzer, but it’s unclear whether or not he’ll stay at linebacker at the next level. Either way, he could be a fun tool in Dallas’s defense.

Deontae Lawson is another intriguing third rounder. The Alabama prospect has been steady throughout his entire four-year career, totaling at least 50 tackles and four pass breakups in each of them. He’s quick and a great tackler, and could fit in really well at the center of the Cowboys’ defense.

In round four, Keyshaun Elliott is a really interesting one. He’s got great size at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, and he’s been productive throughout his college career, totaling 301 tackles in four seasons. He’s been a great run defender throughout his time at Arizona State and New Mexico State, but he really stepped it up as a pass rusher in 2025, totaling seven sacks. He’d be a fun one at No. 112, if he’s still around.

Bryce Bottecher is another guy that will probably hear his name called in round four, but can be an impact player for anyone who drafts him. Over his last two years at Oregon, Bottecher has totaled 230 tackles, nine pass breakups, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He’s a very solid all-around player who has done it against some elite talent in the Big 10. Would be a great pickup at No. 112.

My point is, the Cowboys will have options at linebacker, even if they wait until round three or four to address it.

Offensive Line

The Dallas Cowboys used to have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL when Dak Prescott firs came into the league, but as their veterans got older and retired, they’ve had to start rebuilding their offensive line, and it hasn’t gone super well.

Here’s a look at the Cowboys’ starting offensive linemen and some of their grades and stats, per PFF.

As you can see, they weren’t very good up front, especially at tackle. Terence Steele was credited with the most pressures of any offensive lineman in the league and the 15th-most sacks. Tyler Guyton’s 31 pressures were 44th in the league, but he played just 650 snaps this year.

Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker were pretty solid at guard and Cooper Beebe was solid enough at center when he was on the field, so they’re probably good on the interior for 2026, but I would definitely expect them to add an offensive tackle at some point in the draft. But when?

Dallas’s Potential OL Targets

If Dallas elects to spend a first rounder on a tackle, I think it would be with the 20th pick. That would put them in range for someone like Caleb Lomu, Blake Miller, Max Iheanachor and maybe someone like Kadyn Proctor. All four of those guys would be instant upgrades over what they have at tackle right now, but it feels like it’s more likely they take a shot on someone in round three or four.

In round three, there are two guys they should target. The first is Jude Bowry. The Boston College product played 320 pass blocking snaps last season and didn’t give up a single sack. And on top of that, he’s 6-foot-5, 314 pounds and very athletic with a 5.08-second 40-yard dash and 34.5-inch vertical. He doesn’t have a whole lot of experience, but that just means he has room to grow.

The second is Dametrious Crownover out of Texas A&M. As a pass protector, there’s some work to be done, having given up 27 pressures last season, but he was only credited with two sacks. There’s potential there, especially with his big frame.

If they don’t get a tackle in the first three rounds, I’d like to see them try to get Markel Bell in round four or five. He’s 6-foot-9, 346 pounds and didn’t give up a single sack and just 15 pressures in 16 games last season. Francis Mauigoa gets all the hype, but people forget Bell was equally as productive. He’s just not quite the athlete Mauigoa is.

Isaiah World is another intriguing option late in the draft. He’s a really good player, giving up just 33 pressures and two sacks in nearly 1,000 pass blocking snaps in his last two seasons, but he tore his ACL in the College Football Playoff semifinal, and will almost certainly miss all of preseason camp. His draft stock is hard to figure out, but Dallas could take a shot on him late.

Like linebacker, there are some intriguing offensive tackle options late in this draft.