Best remaining players on Day 2 of the NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys are still celebrating their spectacular first night of the 2026 NFL Draft, in which they landed both Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence. They also don’t have a second-round pick as of this moment, though some clever trading on Thursday has given them ammunition to do so if they want. And they may be tempted, too, as these players still on the board are not only surprising, but very exciting prospects.
Plenty of linebackers still out there
Once Sonny Styles came off the board at seven, teams just stopped drafting linebackers. That’s not entirely surprising, as there was a perceived large gap between the top part of the position group and the rest of the pack, but zero linebackers getting drafted the rest of the night is great news for the Cowboys.
Anthony Hill Jr. out of Texas, CJ Allen out of Georgia, and of course Texas Tech’s mustachioed Jacob Rodriguez are all available. It’s likely any of them would necessitate a trade up, and it sounds like the Cowboys may be more interested in trading for an established linebacker instead.
The second wave of linebacker prospects includes Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher, Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, Missouri’s Josiah Trotter, and LSU’s Harold Perkins. There could easily be a run on linebackers early in the second round, but things look to have worked out well for the Cowboys at their biggest position of need.
Lots of cornerbacks too
When all was said and done on Thursday night, only two cornerbacks heard their name called, a bit of a surprise.
Serious injury concerns linger for Tennessee superstar Jermod McCoy, and teams seem to be taking a cautious approach with him. McCoy’s teammate, Colton Hood, also fell out of the first round. Clemson’s Aveion Terrell, little brother of former first round pick A.J. Terrell, is also waiting to hear his name called.
That also means that fringe first-rounders like Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds, Keith Abney of Arizona State, and Brandon Cisse out of South Carolina will likely be pushed a bit further down the draft board. Cornerback feels like less of a dire need for the Cowboys after the Downs selection, but the opportunity to land a quality player in the draft is growing.
The best of the rest
Outside of the Cowboys’ top remaining needs, there are several big name players still waiting to get in the mix at the draft. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston, and Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald all seem to be locks to go early on Friday night.
There are also plenty of edge rushers who will be early targets for teams. That includes Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, Missouri’s Zion Young, Clemson’s TJ Parker, Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas, and Illinois’ Gabe Jacas.
In short, there are a lot of players out there that other teams are likely to target early in the second round, which may make it easier for the Cowboys to hold off on trading up until much later, if they even make a move at all.
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