NFL Insider Links Cowboys to Jordyn Tyson, Setting Up Possible Round 1 Blunder

Adam Schefter has linked the Cowboys to possible interest in Jordyn Tyson in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, but Dallas simply cannot go that route.

Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

All the talk about the Dallas Cowboys and their first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft has centered on the defense. But could the team throw a curveball and go offense with one of them instead?

It seems outlandish to even consider. After all, it's crystal clear Dallas desperately needs to address its defense with as many picks as possible because that side of the ball prevented the Cowboys from a postseason trip in 2025.

Cowboys fans know it, and even Jerry Jones knows it.

"Had we played a lick of defense last year, we would've had ourselves, I think, a real playoff run," Jones said in March.

However, ESPN's Adam Schefter doesn't appear to be ruling out such a move when he went over Dallas' possibilities in the first round.

Schefter mentioned a trade up for the usual suspects, like Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, but he also threw Jordyn Tyson's name out there, saying the Cowboys "love" the Arizona State receiver.

"So let’s keep our eyes on Dallas figuring out a way to get up the board for [Sonny] Styles or [Arvell] Reese, and let’s see which defensive hole they decide to fill," Schefter said.

"But I do think there's some Jordyn Tyson love there again as well," he added with a laugh.

The Cowboys did attend Tyson's private workout recently, so there is at least some interest on Dallas' part.

Drafting Jordyn Tyson would be a blunder

Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

We would like to think there is just no way the Cowboys would take Tyson given their dire needs on defense, but we have seen Jerry Jones do something like this before when he drafted CeeDee Lamb in 2020.

In hindsight, that move obviously worked out because Lamb has turned into a superstar, but this is a very different situation for a few reasons.

For starters, the Cowboys didn't have a duo like Lamb and George Pickens at wide receiver on the 2020 team, and Lamb was a ridiculous value pick in that spot.

The same can't be said for Tyson, even though he is uber-talented. That's because Tyson comes with injury concerns that prevent him from being a no-brainer pick for any team in the top 15.

Another major reason why drafting Tyson would be a huge blunder is the Cowboys must use their best draft picks on the defense this year if they want any hope of rebounding after a second-straight season without the playoffs.

The only way the Cowboys could even come close to justifying taking Tyson is if they trade Pickens, but even that wouldn't be enough. In that scenario, the Cowboys would still have to go defense in the first round and wait to address wide receiver.

We can only hope Schefter is way off base and/or this is just some kind of a smokescreen because the Cowboys would be shooting themselves in the foot by taking Tyson — and that's putting it mildly.