The Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 draft had a clear focus: building up a historically poor defense. By the end of day three, they made seven selections, five of which were defenders. These players aren’t just bodies that will sit on the practice squad, but players who can contribute meaningful snaps for a team that desperately needs them. Going into the draft, the team had major holes at linebacker, safety, and defensive end. By the end of it, there were significant improvements to all three.
The Cowboys selected three defensive ends in this draft, which should substantially improve the depth at that position. They also picked a safety with the 11th pick. Since safeties are rarely taken this high, it’s safe to assume he will get plenty of snaps as a starter in 2026. The team also made a trade on draft day with the San Francisco 49ers for LB Dee Winters, who started all 17 games for the 49ers last season. While he isn’t a pro-bowl-level player, this move will certainly raise the floor of a linebacker room that was one of the worst in the league going into the draft.
With all three positions of need on the defensive side seemingly improved, Jerry Jones and the rest of the front office surely came out of this draft pleased. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who seemed to have a lot of influence in this draft class, will have a much-improved defense to work with. There is a lot of excitement in Dallas, as with an elite offense, all they need is for the defense to be slightly competent. Here is a deeper dive into each of Dallas’ selections.
Round 1, Pick 11: Caleb Downs, Safety, Ohio State
Grade: A+
If any Cowboys fans were told before the draft that they would only have to trade up one spot to select Caleb Downs, they would think it was a sick joke. Downs is seen by many as one of the best prospects in the draft. According to the consensus big board from NFL Mock Draft Database, based on 184 different expert rankings, he was the 6th-ranked prospect. There is a good chance, not taking into account positional value, that Downs will be the best player in the entire draft. Getting a player of his caliber at pick 11 is a huge steal.
Downs can play all over the field, lining up at strong safety, nickel, or even in sub-packages as a linebacker. This flexibility should allow him to find his way into a starting spot immediately. Downs is talked about as one of the safest prospects in the draft, whose skills should easily translate to the NFL. It would not be surprising if he were the starting safety in Dallas for the next decade. This selection, along with the signing of Jalen Thompson in the offseason, has taken a bottom-tier safety room to a top-tier one talent-wise. There is not much else to say about Downs; it is a home run pick that most of the front office probably didn’t think they’d be able to land without a major trade-up.
Round 1, Pick 23: Malachi Lawrence, Defensive End, UCF
Grade: B
The Cowboys’ second selection in the first round comes after a trade down with their in-division rival Eagles. Malachi Lawrence was a common mock to Dallas with their second pick due to their new assistant defensive line coach, Demeitre Brim, being a defensive analyst for UCF last season. This, along with his positional fit and explosiveness as a pass-rusher, led to Lawrence being picked slightly higher than his projected range of early-mid second round. The Cowboys seemingly knew this, as there were reports of them trying to trade back a second time, thinking they could get him at a later pick. No deal was made, and they decided to take him at pick 23. Although it may have been a slight reach, he fits what the team needs on defense: someone to get to the quarterback.
Lawrence’s strength is definitely his ability to affect the passing game. He finished his 2025 season with 7.0 sacks and was selected first team all Big 12. The Cowboys lack someone who can get to the quarterback, and are hoping Lawrence could be the guy who comes in on third down and makes the big sack. He has elite explosiveness, finishing in the 98th percentile in sprint speed with a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, which can be hard to stop.
For Lawrence to become an every-down player, he will need to improve his run-stopping ability, but for now, Dallas can take this risk as he develops that part of his game. Quinnen Williams, the team’s star DT, is an elite run stopper and can keep their run defense afloat in the meantime. Even though Lawrence is on the older side regarding draft prospects (he turns 23 in July), there is plenty of time for him to develop into a menace on every down due to the skills he possesses.
Round 3, Pick 92: Jaishawn Barham, Defensive End, Michigan
Grade: A
This selection is one of the most interesting of the whole draft for Dallas. Barham can line up as an outside edge rusher or as an inside linebacker. Through his first three years in college, he primarily lined up as an inside linebacker but transitioned to playing more outside in his final year at Michigan. He did improve as an edge rusher in his final year, posting career-highs in tackles for loss (10.0) and sacks (4.0), but at the NFL level, he may be too light to play every down at this position.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced that Barham will begin his career in Dallas as an inside linebacker and line up as an edge rusher on passing downs. He will most likely be used as an explosive, speedy blitzer that can wreak havoc on third downs. His flexibility to play both inside and outside will be important for this team, and it seemed to be one of the reasons they were so high on him. The Cowboys had Barham as their No. 1 player on the board entering the third round and jumped all over him at pick 92. This selection should improve both the linebacker and edge rusher rooms and was a great selection for them at this point in the draft.
Round 4, Pick 112: Drew Shelton, Offensive Tackle, Penn State
Grade: B+
The Cowboys went offense for the first time in this draft with their fourth selection. Drew Shelton excels in pass protection, and his selling point is his movement ability and athleticism. He only allowed one sack in 2025, and it was against the number five overall pick, Arvell Reese. Shelton is at his best when he is able to get out in space in the run game due to his strength and speed combination.
Shelton will provide excellent depth behind Terrence Steele and Tyler Guyton and will most likely start his career as a swing tackle. This selection is a good home for him, as he gets the chance to develop with a coaching staff that has a proven history of developing offensive linemen. While he was the consensus 144 overall prospect, this selection makes a ton of sense, as Dallas has developed internally almost their entire O-line. Shelton has a good chance to become a starter in the next couple of years and could provide immediate impact in the run game as an extra tackle.
Round 4, Pick 114: Devin Moore, Cornerback, Florida
Grade: B
Devin Moore has great size as an outside corner, standing at 6’3, and has the potential to provide depth to a cornerback room that has a lot of questions. Shavon Revel and Caelen Carson, two early-round corners Dallas has selected recently, have shown some flashes but have been inconsistent so far in their careers. Right now, they are expected to be the CB3 and CB4, but if their play does not improve, Moore could see some playing time.
Moore was the 99th overall prospect on the consensus big board, so getting him at 114 is a great pick. He has not committed a penalty in his last two years of college ball and has seen his stock rise after a stellar senior year. The biggest question mark regarding Moore’s future is injury concerns. Through his first three years, he only played 19 total games, missing time in each season. In his senior year, this improved to 11 games played. With this pick, the Cowboys are hopeful that these concerns are in the past and that his talent can be built upon to hopefully become a solid rotational corner.
Round 4, Pick 137: LT Overton, Defensive End, Alabama
Grade: A
LT Overton was announced as a defensive end but played all over the defensive line at Alabama. There is a solid chance that he will start his career as a rotational defensive tackle due to his massive wingspan and sheer size. Coming into the 2025 season, he was ranked as a potential top 10 draft pick due to his breakout Junior year, in which he registered 39 pressures. His senior year saw some regression as he dropped from 39 to 24 pressures despite similar snap counts. Overton’s junior season shows that there is pass-rush potential alongside his solid play in the run game.
Overton was the 100th-ranked prospect on the consensus big board. He was mocked in the third round at 92 in the mock done before the draft, so getting him at 137 is a big steal. His ability to play all across the line, along with talent previously strong enough to get top 10 overall draft consideration, makes this a worthwhile gamble for the Cowboys. Overton could become a reliable starter or even better in the future if he can tap back into his potential.
Round 7, Pick 218: Anthony Smith, Wide Receiver, East Carolina
Grade: C
The Cowboys’ final pick of the draft was the most “meh” selection out of them all. Anthony Smith was a six-year college player who had only 243 yards in four years at North Carolina State. He did show improvement once he transferred to East Carolina, putting up 1842 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two years there. It is the seventh round, so it’s not like they would get a star prospect at this point, but usually teams want to bet on upside, and there doesn’t seem to be much here. He is a solid deep threat that could maybe come into the game to stretch the field, but he mostly projects to be a career special teamer.
Dallas Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft Grade: A
The Cowboys’ front office knocked this draft out of the park and addressed some of their biggest needs. This defense looks totally different than how it did at the end of last year and will surely not be as bad as it was last year. Obviously, the headline of the draft, Caleb Downs, will get most of the praise and rightfully so, but what they did after him will be what could really elevate them in the future. Getting meaningful depth at positions that previously lacked it will always be a good draft strategy. There could be two starters in this draft and 3-4 others who will play meaningful snaps for the team this season.
