Cowboys news: Where Dallas stands as NFL draft approaches

What’s the state of the Cowboys as franchise shifts focus to 2026 NFL league meetings – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

How the Cowboys stand as they prepare for the NFL draft.

The NFL draft is less than a month away. On Sunday, Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones and coach Brian Schottenheimer will head to Phoenix for the NFL owner’s meetings.

Schottenheimer is scheduled to speak with the media Monday morning. Jones, at some point during the two-and-a-half days of sessions, will chat with reporters, too.

Cowboys coaches, front office personnel and scouts are visiting college campuses and hosting college prospects at The Star.

It’s part of the process of building a roster for the 2026 season. With the owner’s meetings around the corner, we look at the state of the franchise:

NFL draft prep

The Cowboys have eight draft picks, including two first-round selections (No. 12 and No. 20) and three picks in the fifth round. One of the best things the Cowboys did this offseason was to acquire a second-day pick (third round) in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. There was a thought the Cowboys might have to package one of their first-round picks to get a Day 2 pick (second and third rounds), but trading Osa Odighizuwa for the third-rounder solves that issue.

So now the Cowboys have three draft picks among the Top 100 players in the draft. Based on what Jerry Jones said at the NFL scouting combine, this is no time for redshirts or gambling on players coming off injury. The Cowboys are looking for players to make an immediate impact.

Schottenheimer has attended several pro days — Miami, Texas and Texas Tech among them — and the coaches have conducted group dinners with prospects at some schools. Romello Height, an edge rusher from Texas Tech, Sonny Styles, a linebacker from Ohio State, and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper have scheduled visits or already made the trip to The Star as part of the 30 visits from draftable prospects. It seems as if the Cowboys are taking an aggressive approach to visiting with players in groups more so than in the past.

Possible Pick: Could Jacob Rodriguez fit Cowboys’ need at LB? – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com

Jacob Rodriguez would fill a very big need for the Cowboys.

LUBBOCK, Texas – In 2025, the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ defense saw a massive turnaround. The unit finished as the third-best in the country and catapulted them to the program’s first ever appearance in the College Football Playoffs.

The man at the center of it all was linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, a Wichita Falls, Texas native who won the Butkus award in 2025, given to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker, and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, capturing the hearts of college football fans and cementing a strong legacy in Lubbock.

Even with all the success Rodriguez has had in his final two years of college, Rodriguez found more excitement from his teammates’ success at Texas Tech’s pro day on Thursday rather than his own.

“I was more happy about all those other guys. [Linebacker[ Bryce Ramirez had a day, [wide receiver] Caleb Douglas had a day. It was nice to have more than 100 NFL staff, personnel out here and looking at the guys that we’ve got, especially those four up front, and how everything happens that way. I think I had a good day, but man it was a lot of fun to watch all those other guys.”

Rodriguez himself only participated in the bench press portion of athletic testing at pro day, hitting the mark he had set for himself with 23 reps. The night before, he had dinner with the Cowboys, led by head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

“It was fun,” Rodriguez said of his dinner with Dallas. “It was really great to be in the building and sitting at dinner with a head coach in the NFL. Five year old, 10 year old me would be really happy, really proud. I was happy to be there. I loved it, loved all the conversations and looking forward to more.”

Dallas Cowboys’ hopes of landing Caleb Downs increase after NFL Draft insider doubles down on strong take – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports

This would be a dream scenario for Dallas in the first round.

Not long ago, Caleb Downs looked like the impossible dream that wouldn’t come to fruition for the Dallas Cowboys. Considered one of the best prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, many view Downs being drafted in the Top 10.

But under a month away from the big day, Downs is no longer sounding like a far-fetched option at No. 12 overall.

Caleb Downs not a guarantee to go in Top 10

“Despite early expectations, draft expert and insider Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network has suggested Downs could fall outside the Top 10 multiple times this week, even though he’s a Top 10 player on his own board.

“The safety position is a tricky, man,” Jeremiah said Friday on the Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t know that you just say ‘it’s a lock, just lock it in, he’s a top 5 pick, he’s going to go guaranteed even in the Top 10,’ I would say the floor for me is the Dallas Cowboys at twelve.”

Jeremiah noted standout safety prospects like Derwin James, Kyle Hamilton, and Nick Emmanwori all fell on their respective drafts. Historically, it’s a position the decision-makers in the NFL have undervalued compared to the media and fans.

Earlier in the week, Jeremiah shared a similar stance on an interview with 105.3 The Fan.

“Weird stuff happens in the safety position,” he said. “I don’t agree with it but it has been pushed down to some degree. And then with Downs, you’re looking at someone who isn’t big, he’s under six feet, he’s a little over 200 pounds, he’s got short arms, he doesn’t have a ton of splash plays.”

Next Man Up: Will healthy offseason lead to DeMarvion Overshown’s big leap? – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys need DeMarvion Overshown to have a full and healthy 2026 season.

The Past: A native of Arp, Texas, Overshown began his football career playing safety, where he was a five-star recruit in the 2018 class and committed to the University of Texas. Going into his junior season in 2020, the Longhorns made the decision to switch Overshown to an inside linebacker, where he quickly made a big impact on the defense with his rare size, speed and athletic ability for the position. After being drafted by the Cowboys in the third-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Overshown suffered a devastating torn ACL injury in the second preseason game of his rookie season and missed all of his rookie year. He would return in 2024 and was a difference maker for Dallas, posting 90 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks and a pick-six in 13 games before suffering another tragic torn ACL, MCL and PCL. Overshown missed most of the 2025 season, but was able to return and play for six games.

The Present: The most important thing for Overshown heading into the 2025 offseason is that he is healthy. That is not a luxury he had in 2024, and being able to participate in the offseason program and training camp is a crucial step in not just his development, but making sure he can retain as much of the explosiveness and speed as possible that made him a star on Dallas’ defense in 2024. Two devastating injuries to the knee make it difficult to do that, but Overshown has worked diligently to do everything he can to make sure he’s as healthy as possible. At present, the Cowboys have not made any offseason additions to their linebacker room in free agency. So as it stands, Overshown is the most tenured player in the room. Dallas will almost certainly look to add a veteran and/or a younger player in the NFL Draft, but Overshown is still a crucial piece that will be counted on this upcoming season to remain on the field and have an impact.

Dallas Cowboys 7-round mock draft: Whom will they take with all of their picks? – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Here’s what the Cowboys draft could look like.

No. 12: CB Mansoor Delane (LSU)

After his Pro Day 40-yard dash came in around 4.45, the hype around Delane has never been higher. At 6-foot, 187 pounds, Delane allowed just 14 receptions for 165 yards in his senior season and has adept abilities playing in a man or zone scheme.

In defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme, he would step in as a day-one starter on the outside, and his talent is high enough to where he would be a top-15 cornerback as early as his rookie season. Simply put, this would be a home run pick.

No. 20: DE T.J. Parker (Clemson)

Trading out of the No. 20 pick seems like a high possibility because of the talent gap from the teens into the twenties of this draft. But if the Cowboys don’t find a tango partner, drafting Parker makes some sense.

Not only did the Cowboys hold a formal meeting with Parker at the combine, but defensive line coach Marcus Dixon worked him out at his Pro Day alongside fellow Tigers defensive linemen Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart. Parker would give a physical presence to the run game with pass rush upside that could make him a capable mainstay in the 3-4 scheme.

No. 92: S Kamari Ramsey (USC)

Grabbing Ramsey this late into day two of the draft was too good to pass up on. Over the course of his college career, Ramsey allowed 59 receptions for 494 yards in coverage. While his ball production totaled just two interceptions during his career, his ability to play as a rangy deep safety forced opposing quarterbacks to keep things underneath with his top-end services looming downfield.

In a Cowboys safety room that has seen Donovan Wilson depart and Jalen Thompson come in, Ramsey wouldn’t necessarily be a day-one starter, but that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t play a healthy handful of snaps every week in different packages. Additionally, he could serve as legitimate competition to Malik Hooker at the free safety spot.

---

Daily Discussion Question: What kind of trade would you likely turn down in the first round?

Hit the comments and let us know.