Dallas Cowboys Day 2 Mock Draft Features Jerry Cooking Again With Trade Up

Our Day 2 mock draft sees the Cowboys make a trade up that gives them another pick on Saturday night and allows the team to address two key needs.

TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr reacts after a defensive stop against the Colorado Buffaloes | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

By all accounts, it was a successful opening night for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Dallas accomplished the goal of adding a pair of defenders with their two first-round picks, grabbing both Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, both of whom defensive coordinator Christian Parker wanted.

Jerry Jones did some wheeling and dealing, also, with Jerry pulling off a trade up for Downs and then a trade down for Lawrence with the Philadelphia Eagles, of all teams.

In the process, he turned two fifth-round picks into two fourth-rounders, and now he's in position to trade up for another Day 2 selection, of which the Cowboys only have one going into Saturday night.

And that's exactly what we have the Cowboys doing in our Day 2 mock draft, which features the aforementioned trade up to help Dallas address both linebacker and cornerback.

Round 3, Pick 92: CB Tacario Davis, Washington

Washington defensive back Tacario Davis. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Cowboys weren't able to grab a cornerback on Day 1, but they make up for that by taking Davis late on Day 2.

Davis looked like he was on his way to being a second-round pick after an impressive 2023 season before he took a step back in 2024, but had a bounce-back season in 2025.

At 6-foot-3 and with over 33-inch arms, Davis is big, strong and has the right length to be a problem on the outside. He also has 4.41 speed to keep up with burners down the field. An 81.8 run defense grade last season shows he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty at the line of scrimmage, either.

If he can work his way into a starting role immediately and Shavon Revel can lock down the other boundary spot, Dallas can slide DaRon Bland into the slot, where he's best suited.

At the very least, Davis will provide some valuable depth and an insurance policy in Year 1.

Round 3, Pick 100 (via JAX): LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU

National Team linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

With three fourth-round picks, Dallas unloads two of them to move up for the final pick of Round 3, dealing pick Nos. 112 and 137 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for pick Nos. 100 and 203 (sixth round).

This might be a slight reach, but Dallas needs more help at the linebacker position, and preferably someone who can wear the green dot, which Elarms-Orr is capable of doing with his high football IQ.

With great instincts and tackling ability, aggressiveness and a non-stop motor, Elarms-Orr is just what the doctor ordered for Dallas.

His 4.47 speed allows him to play sideline-to-sideline and make a big impact when asked to blitz, and he has the chops to be an elite run defender (87.8 PFF grade) and above-average coverage linebacker (72.7 PFF grade) at the next level.

The Cowboys will probably want to pair him with a veteran free-agent signing, but the TCU product should develop into a locked-in starter no later than 2027.

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