The Dallas Cowboys might be able to change their defense for the next decade in just a few hours next month.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid released a 2-round mock draft on Tuesday morning that sees the Cowboys swap their No. 12 overall pick to the New York Jets in exchange for the No. 16 overall pick, a 2026 4th round pick, and 2026 7th round pick.
Reid has the Cowboys take Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 16 overall after he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and registered a 41-inch vertical leap at the NFL scouting combine.
“I have the Cowboys trading pack in this situation because they’re 1 of 2 teams in 1st round with 2 picks so they have a lot of flexibility in this spot,” Reid said on SportsCenter Tuesday morning. “The Cowboys have to figure out their secondary … drafting Thieneman as well as Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell at No. 20 overall would do that.”
Thieneman only played 3 seasons of college football — 2 at Purdue before transferring to NIL-rich Oregon for his final season in 2025. Both of Thieneman’s older brothers, Jake and Brennan, also played safety for Purdue.
“The Cowboys gave up the most points per game in the NFL last season (30.1) and the third-most yards per contest (377.0),” Reid wrote in his mock draft. “They started to remake their secondary last season, and adding Thieneman, an active defender with positional and scheme versatility, would continue that process. Dallas specializes in two-high safety looks, and Thieneman is an excellent processor who can close on plays in a hurry. Dallas forced only 12 turnovers in 2025, and Thieneman has the ability to be a ball hawk while bringing physicality when stepping down against the run.”
Thieneman Compared to $45 Million NFL Safety
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Thieneman, 6-foot and 201 pounds, to New York Giants safety Jevon Holland in his pre-draft evaluation.
Holland signed a 3-year, $45.3 million free agent contract with the Giants in March 2025 after spending his first 4 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
“Savvy three-year starter with NFL size, speed and alignment versatility,” Zierlein wrote. “Thieneman is an extension of his defensive coordinator, aligning and adjusting the secondary to motion and pre-snap shifts. He’s an instinctive, rangy safety who can roll down into big nickel or robber positioning. He has a good feel for play design and route concepts in zone but has average change of direction to match breaks in man. He’s not a big thumper near the line, but he rushes into the action with a relentless pursuit that should allow him to keep stacking high scores in the tackle columns. Thieneman checks important boxes for teams looking to add versatile playmakers in the secondary.”
Cowboys Likely to Part Ways With $21M Safety
The Cowboys will need Thieneman to step directly into the starting lineup — mostly because they seem headed for a split with safety Malik Hooker after he underperformed in 2025.
Not just because he played terrible, but because doing so can create $6.9 million in salary cap space if he’s cut or traded this offseason.
Hooker, a 2017 1st round pick, signed a 3-year, $21 million contract extension with the Cowboys in 2023.
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