Twenty-four hours away from the 2026 NFL draft, and perhaps no team has been linked to a draft day trade more than the Dallas Cowboys have.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper, The Ringer’s Todd McShay, and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler all were convinced the Cowboys were targeting a trade up into the top 10 to grab Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
Days later, it seems speculation has cooled on Styles to the Cowboys. However, many analysts still believe Dallas is targeting a trade up for another defensive stud. ESPN’s Peter Schrager, who many believe to be the most plugged-in insider in the NFL, also thinks a first-round trade is in Dallas’ future.
Cowboys Could Move Into Top 10 for Elite Defender
GettyLSU CB Mansoor Delane
If things shake out the way most draft experts think it will, most of the players the Cowboys would target — Styles, Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey, Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs — will likely be gone in the first five or six selections.
With the run on elite defensive stars, Schrager believes Dallas would be desperate enough to trade the No. 12 and 20 overall picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 9 and 29 overall picks to grab LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
“After allowing 377 yards per game and letting opponents convert on third down 47.3% of the time — ranking among the worst in the NFL in both — Dallas has to get one of the top defensive prospects. It’s a necessity,” Schrager wrote.
“But there’s no guarantee any of them — Downs, Delane, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. et al — will still be there at No. 12. This is a chance to guarantee getting one of them and still have another first-round pick. Delane’s coverage ability should help stop some of the big plays that doomed the Cowboys in 2025.”
Cowboys Could Double Dip on Defense in Round 1
GettyUCF DE Malachi Lawrence
Landing Delane would solve one of the Cowboys’ top areas of need: a second starting cornerback opposite DaRon Bland.
It would also open the door for them to fill another hole on their defense with their second first-rounder, which is why Schrager predicts the Cowboys will take UCF edge-rusher Malachi Lawrence with the 29th overall pick.
“Lawrence has quietly risen the board over the past two months, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he hears his name late in Round 1,” Schrager continued. “Dallas gets the defense-defense double up that has been predicted for a while, but it does it from two different picks than expected after the projected trade. Lawrence can boost the pass rush; he had seven sacks in 2025.”
Lawrence could fill the hole created when the team traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last year.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge-rusher logged 40 pressures, 30 hurries, 11 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks last season for the Knights. He totaled 7 or more sacks in each of his last three seasons, and he took a big step in his pass-rushing skill this season, jumping from 28 pressures to 40, 19 hurries to 30, and his pass-rush win-rate spiked from 16.8% to 34.7%.
Cowboys Predicted to Pull Trigger on Wild Draft Day Trade