The Dallas Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones have a huge opportunity to improve later this week when the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway.
At least for now, the Cowboys hold the No. 12 and No. 20 overall selections in the draft. They will have a chance to add two high-impact players for the upcoming season.
Following a 2025 season that saw Dallas miss out on the playoffs, there is a renewed sense of urgency for the Cowboys. Jones will stop at nothing to push back into contention. That will all start with their moves in the NFL Draft.
Looking at the roster, there are a few holes that Dallas must address.
One of the biggest issues on the roster comes at the cornerback position. Earlier this offseason, the Cowboys signed former Los Angeles Rams defensive back Cobie Durant. That move alone wasn’t enough to fix the issues from last year.
A new prediction would see Dallas land an elite playmaker for the secondary.
Dallas Cowboys Linked to Dynamic Playmaking Defensive Back
ESPN’s Jordan Reid has released a new seven-round mock draft. He has the Cowboys using the No. 20 overall pick on San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson.
“Johnson is an ascending prospect about whom multiple sources have raved to me over the past few weeks. He has shot up the board through the predraft process and is in position to be the third cornerback off the board,” Reid wrote.
“We already have the Cowboys taking a safety at No. 12, but there’s no such thing as too much help for a secondary that allowed a league-high 46 completions of 25-plus yards last season and 35 passing touchdowns, which were the second most in the NFL.”
Johnson has widely been viewed as a second-round pick over the last couple of months. However, there is no question that he has star potential for the NFL level and being a late first-round pick would make a lot of sense.
What Would Chris Johnson Bring to the Cowboys’ Defense?
During the 2025 college football season with the Aztecs, Johnson racked up 48 total tackles to go along with a sack, a forced fumble, four interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, and eight defended passes.
Throughout his entire four-year career in college, all coming at San Diego State, Johnson totaled 148 tackles, a sack, five forced fumbles, six interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, and 11 defended passes. He’s exactly the kind of player the Dallas defense needs.
Reid also had the Cowboys going defense with the No. 12 overall pick. He projected the team to take Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
Should those predictions become a reality, Dallas would take a huge step forward in the secondary. Both Johnson and Thieneman would have a chance to make an immediate impact. It’s a scenario that Cowboys fans should be excited about if it comes true.
Dallas Cowboys Linked to Elite Playmaker to Boost Defense