Stephen Jones Teases Possible Cowboys Trade Into Round 2 of Draft

Thursday night was full of excitement as 32 players heard their names called during the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. The Dallas Cowboys were one of the more active teams during the opening round, making two trades and ultimately selecting two quality defensive prospects.

After moving up one spot to pick No. 11, the Cowboys made Ohio State safety Caleb Downs their top pick in this class. They more than made up for the picks surrendered in that trade by dropping down three spots later in the draft, taking UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence at No. 23.

One of the biggest winners in Round 1, the Cowboys now enter Friday night without a pick until No. 92 overall in Round 3. With Dallas showing some aggression early in the draft, it's fair to ask if they plan to trade up and make a selection in Round 2.

Will the Cowboys trade into the second round?

Dallas Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stephen Jones fielded that question and while he said they don't like to surrender multiple players in exchange for one, he won't rule anything out.

“What we don't want to do is give up because we just don't feel that way philosophically. You don't want to be giving up three and four football players for one player. So that part of it’s a challenge, but obviously to have draft capital is helpful," Jones said via Tommy Yarrish.

"But still, it'll be a challenge to get into that second round based on where we sit right now with our picks, unless you're willing to give up a handful of picks for one player. And that becomes something that's a challenge for us because philosophically we don't necessarily think that's the perfect thing to do. Would we totally rule it out? Absolutely not. We don't ever rule out anything.”

Of course, the Cowboys have been willing to send multiple picks for the right player. In 2014, they traded a second and third round pick to move up for DeMarcus Lawrence in 2014. They also sent a fourth and fifth rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 to move up for Tyler Biadasz. That said, it's still rare, but they will do it for the right fit.

Which players make sense for a trade up?

Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats fail to score in overtime at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Dallas enters the night with a desperate need for help at linebacker. For that reason, it would make sense for them to keep an eye on players at the position.

While Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez and Georgia's C.J. Allen would be ideal, they're likely going to go too high for the Cowboys to pursue. Another option, however, is Anthony Hill Jr. from Texas.

Hill can line up as inside linebacker in Christian Parker's defense and serve as a run-stuffer capable of making plays in the backfield. Hill finished his Longhorns career with 31.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks. The Cowboys have shown plenty of interest as well, bringing Hill in for a pre-draft visit. The coaching staff also got to know him over dinner.

If Hill starts to slide to the end of Round 2, and definitely into the beginning of the third round, Hill would be someone worth trading up for.

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