New Cowboys mock draft lands do-it-all chess piece, run-stuffing NT

The Dallas Cowboys' defense has been dreadful through the first six weeks of the NFL season, and a lack of depth and roster talent has been evident. In the offseason, the Cowboys will need to take a long look at how to improve.

Luckily, the Cowboys will have plenty of options, including the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Dallas has two first-round picks in the draft thanks to the Micah Parsons trade, and the team can use that draft capital to fill several needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on the sideline during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

If the Cowboys can hit on both picks, it sets the defense up well for the future with its already young core. But who could the team target?

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus shared his latest mock draft, which projects the Cowboys landing a duo of Ohio State Buckeyes defensive stars. If the draft were to end today, the Cowboys would currently hold the No. 12 and No. 29 overall picks.

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No. 12 - Caleb Downs, defensive back, Ohio State

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs celebrates a play against Western Michigan. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Downs is one of the best defensive backs in college football, and his versatility makes him a perfect option for the Cowboys' defense. Downs could move all around and fill multiple roles, allowing the team to maximize its value with the No. 12 pick.

"[Downs] can play free safety, strong safety, slot defender and even linebacker," Sikkema writes. "He’s a true do-it-all chess piece type of player. He deserves to be picked higher than this, but it’s just a matter of how high the league will draft a safety."

Throughout his college career, which began at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State as a sophomore, the 6-foot, 205-pound Downs has recorded 216 tackles, nine passes defensed, five interceptions, and a forced fumble.

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No. 29 - Kayden McDonald, nose tackle, Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Kayden McDonald reacts after stripping the ball from Illinois Fighting Illini running back Ca'Lil Valentine | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

McDonald is a massive 6-foot-3, 325-pound nose tackle who is elite against the run. After watching Rico Dowdle run wild on the Dallas defense in the team's disappointing Week 6 loss, it is clearer than ever that the Cowboys need a force up front.

Former first-round pick Mazi Smith has never been the answer, so it's time to take another swing at the position and move on.

"McDonald may still be working on things as a pass-rusher – though he does have an improved 71.3 pass-rush grade against true pass sets this season – but the 6-foot-3 and 325-pound nose tackle has a 91.3 run-defense grade this season with a 10.5 percent solo run-stop rate," the article states. "That is something the Cowboys desperately need in the middle of their front."

The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.

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