Cowboys NFL Draft Mailbag 3.0: Best & Worst Picks, George Pickens Smoke, Free Agency

The Cowboys mailbag 3.0 is here and it answers some questions pertaining to the 2026 NFL Draft, George Pickens and the second wave of free agency.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now that the 2026 NFL Draft is behind us, it's time for another mailbag with answers for some common questions Dallas Cowboys fans have in the wake of the three-day event.

In this mailbag, I'll be tackling who the best and worst pick of the Cowboys' 2026 NFL Draft was. That's a fairly difficult question to answer because the Cowboys didn't make any really bad picks as many other teams. But I didn't avoid the question, either.

From there, we'll touch on the smoke surrounding George Pickens leading into the draft that caused quite a stir, and what the odds are that Pickens gets traded.

Then, I'll discuss the second wave of free agency and how likely it is the Cowboys will do anything significant.

Let's dive in.

What was the Cowboys' best and worst pick?

Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Giving an answer for both of these isn't easy because I truly loved the Cowboys' draft class overall. It attacked multiple needs and did so by adding top-notch athletes.

The easy and most obvious answer is Caleb Downs. The Cowboys got great value getting one of the very best players in this draft at No. 11. The trade up didn't end up hurting, either, as Dallas replaced those fifth-rounders with fourth-rounders later thanks to an unexpected trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

But let's not be so obvious and take Downs out of the picture for a minute. I personally loved the Jaishawn Barham pick. He gives the Cowboys a high-upside off-ball linebacker who can contribute as an edge rusher, also. All the physical traits are there — speed and power — and all that's left is working on his pass-rush repertoire, which Brandon Jordan will definitely help with. Barham could end up being a massive steal in Round 3.

As far as the worst pick is concerned, I'll take LT Overton.

Overton is not a great athlete (2.47 Relative Athletic Score) and is a "tweener," so he doesn't have a defined spot yet. He also did not have great production in college (seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss) and his Pro Football Focus grades show a player who doesn't stand out in any one area.

I also would have liked to see the Cowboys take a wide receiver in that spot rather than waiting until the seventh round.

Will Cowboys trade George Pickens after the draft?

Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

All signs pointed to the Cowboys trading Pickens before the NFL Draft. Let's break it all down, shall we?

The Cowboys announcing they weren't going to extend him on the day before the draft was suspicious because the team had until July 15 to do so and it seemed like Dallas was putting out the signal for teams to come and get Pickens.

Then, Pickens reportedly agreed to sign the franchise tag just hours before the draft. That's significant because, again, he did not have to do that yet and signing the tag was what needed to happen for him to be traded. Signing the tag also meant Pickens can be fined if he doesn't show up for mandatory offseason activities. Combine that with what we just mentioned about the Cowboys' announcement and it all added up to a possible trade.

That said, the Cowboys have been adamant that they don't want to trade Pickens.

But we also know things can change very quickly, and teams can put out a smokescreen similar to what the Cowboys said about not wanting to trade Pickens in order to try and gin up interest.

To make things more confusing, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that Pickens wants an extension or a trade. ESPN's Todd Archer also reported that Pickens has yet to sign his franchise tag, so that's still hanging out there.

This situation is just a mess and who knows what to believe at this point. I will say that I think there's definitely still a chance Pickens gets traded if the right offer comes along.

But we also have to factor in the Cowboys needing to replace him if that trade happens. There is not enough on Dallas' depth chart currently to do that if Pickens is moved and the longer the Cowboys wait, the less options they will have.

Will Cowboys be active in free agency?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cowboys have $13.5 million in cap space, per Spotrac, and they will need about exactly that much to sign their draft class.

So, that doesn't leave much wiggle room for moves, and we can't forget the Cowboys are going to need cap space to get through the regular season with. I'm sure they can find ways to open up more money to make a move and accomplish the other goal.

But there isn't a lot needed here.

The trade for Dee Winters gives the Cowboys the veteran starting option at linebacker they needed, and Barham and others will pitch in with snaps behind him and DeMarvion Overshown.

At edge rusher, Dallas has Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku as their top two, and having first-round pick Malachi Lawrence should fortify the group, assuming he is able to make a Year 1 impact, and Barham can assist there, also. James Houston is still under contract and the Marist Liufau EDGE experiment is there for depth, too.

I believe the Cowboys are content with their cornerbacks group as is. Shavon Revel and DaRon Bland are going to get another shot as Dallas' boundary duo, and fourth-round pick Devin Moore and guys like Cobie Durant and Caelen Carson offer more depth.

The slot remains somewhat of a question mark, but the Cowboys have enough options there in Durant, P.J. Locke, Jalen Thompson and even Downs. And, speaking of Downs, he solidifies the safety group and there's enough options at the position to cover for him if Downs is called to play in the slot.

I like but don't love the wide receiver position for Dallas. Behind the elite duo of Pickens and CeeDee Lamb is an unproven No. 3 wide receiver in Ryan Flournoy and depth options like KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo and Parris Campbell. Dallas added some much-needed veteran competition in Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Tyler Johnson and that's about the extent of what I expect them to do at that position.

All of this is to say I don't think the Cowboys are going to do anything big at any position in the coming months, barring a major injury or Pickens getting dealt. What you see now is most likely what you're going to get, and I don't have a major issue with that.