Cowboys' Interest in Explosive WR Prospect Could Wreck 2026 NFL Draft Plan

The Dallas Cowboys have interest in an explosive wide receiver but would have to throw out the most logical 2026 NFL Draft approach to get him.

Mississippi wideout De'Zhaun Stribling. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While all the attention has been on how the Dallas Cowboys will fix their defense in the 2026 NFL Draft, the team has also been doing its homework on the offensive side of the ball.

And, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, part of that homework has been checking out an explosive wide receiver out of Ole Miss.

Schefter reports that the Cowboys held a private workout with wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling during the pre-draft process.

"Ole Miss receiver De'Zhaun Stribling has also been busy traveling. He wrapped up his eight total visits last week in Philadelphia, New England and Chicago. He also had private workouts with Dallas and New Orleans. Stribling had back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons and ran a 4.36-second 40 that has generated attention," Schefter reported.

Schefter's report on Stribling and Dallas came in the portion of his column where he highlighted draft prospects to watch, so there's clearly some buzz for the Ole Miss standout just days before the three-day event.

De'Zhaun Stribling scouting report and draft projection

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Stribling finished off his collegiate career with back-to-back 800-yard seasons, one with Oklahoma State and the other with Ole Miss.

At 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, Stribling has excellent size, but he is certainly not lacking in the explosive department. At the Scouting Combine, the Ole Miss wideout posted a lightning-fast 4.36 40-yard dash.

Stribling offers elite vertical speed capable of taking the top off a defense, and that speed also makes him a yards-after-catch menace in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field.

The consensus is that Stribling is a locked-in Day 2 pick, with projections having him going in the second or third round.

Cowboys can't wreck draft plan for Stribling

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There is no doubt the Cowboys need more help at wide receiver. George Pickens' future remains murky amid a contract standoff and, at the very least, Dallas needs more competition for depth spots.

The jury is still out on whether or not Ryan Flournoy can provide an adequate No. 3 option, and there is no shortage of question marks behind him in Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin and Parris Campbell.

The problem with the notion that Dallas could draft Stribling is the team only has one Day 2 pick, which comes late in the third round. By all accounts, it's unlikely he'll be available in that spot.

That means the Cowboys will have to make their way into the second round or higher into the third if they want Stribling.

One way to get into the second round is to trade back from No. 20. Dallas could also garner a second-round pick in a trade up from No. 12, something we've touched on in trade scenarios for the Cleveland Browns' No. 6 pick.

However, it would not be a wise decision for Dallas to opt for a wide receiver with its second pick instead of adding a much-needed defensive player to address the team's biggest issue.

Mississippi wideout De'Zhaun Stribling. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The only way the Cowboys could come close to justifying doing that is if they trade Pickens, and even then that might not be enough.

That said, this is Jerry Jones we're talking about and we would never put it past him to wreck what should be the team's plan during the early part of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Another potential avenue — and the most ideal avenue — to draft Stribling would be to find a way to move up in the third round, but Dallas would almost certainly have to give up its third-round pick and a future asset to do so based on the trade value chart.

When you break it all down, it's just hard to see how the Cowboys are going to get themselves in position to draft Stribling without Jerry going completely off the rails and deviating from what is clearly the most logical approach for Dallas.