Proposed Cowboys Trade for Sonny Styles Would Shake Up NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the top teams to watch entering the 2026 NFL Draft, as the entire structure of the first round could hinge on their decision-making.

Dallas currently holds the No. 12 and No. 20 overall picks in the first round, giving the team an opportunity to select two instant-impact players or trade up for a potential franchise-altering piece. There is a ton of power in the hands of the Cowboys front office to completely shake up the first round.

Pulling off a massive trade up near the top of the draft order could be risky, but would also give the Dallas defense the game-changing piece it has been searching for.

This is exactly what ESPN's Mina Kimes and The Athletic's Dane Brugler predict will happen in the first round in a move that lands the Cowboys a potential franchise linebacker.

Cowboys Trade Two First-Round Picks, Select Sonny Styles in Mock Draft

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles gets into position during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

During a recent episode of the The Mina Kimes Show, Kimes and Brugler have Dallas trading the No. 12 and No. 20 overall picks to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for the No. 4 overall pick and a third-round selection.

With that new first-round pick, they have Cowboys selecting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, giving Dallas fans the linebacker of their dreams after going through free agency without adding a piece at that position.

Styles has played one game at AT&T Stadium three years in a row, so why not make his permanent home in the NFL?

"I think it makes a ton of sense if you're the Cowboys," Brugler said. "I don't think there's someone on the roster right now that they feel great about wearing the green dot. You think about the Christian Parker defense and wanting to have a hybrid nature to it, Sonny Styles can give you a lot of different things."

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles celebrates a defensive stop during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cowboys could certainly still add a pair of franchise players at No. 12 and No. 20, with many fans eyeing Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, but landing Styles after trading up instead seems like it could pay off in the long run.

In four years at Ohio State, Styles won a National Championship while also posting 245 total tackles (132 solo), nine sacks, three forced fumbles, nine pass breakups and one interception.

Adding Styles to the defense would quickly help Cowboy fans forget about the linebacker frustrations in free agency while giving the league's worst defense a massive boost headed into the 2026 season.

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