Who are the Dallas Cowboys Main Targets in the 2026 NFL Draft?

There comes a time in every NFL Draft cycle when fanbases shift from guessing to gaining a clearer idea of where their team may be headed. For the Dallas Cowboys, it feels like this week may have been that new point.

New mock drafts with insider information, visit schedules, and more have started to give us a glimpse into Dallas’s potential plans.

You don’t need me to tell you how critical it is that Dallas hits on their two first-round picks this April with new defensive players; the only question is which position groups they hit, and which prospects at those spots are highest on their board.

With the aforementioned stronger information, I feel confident in listing the guys who do, and don’t, appear to be in the Cowboys’ gaze as we march into April.

Here, I’ll cover all the names in question so you know which way the draft wind has been blowing recently.

Who Has The Cowboys Interested & Who Is Slipping Out Of Contention?

A pair of cornerbacks — LSU’s Manoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy — are seemingly at the top of Dallas’s wishlist, with Delane being the big, though possibly unattainable, prize.

The Dolphins, picking 11th in front of the Cowboys, had previously been a predictable landing spot for the LSU star. Their recent trade of Jaylen Waddle, however, may open them up to taking a receiver at 11 and a cornerback at 30 with their new pick.

McCoy, who has questions about this knee after a January 2025 ACL tear, is being repeatedly mocked by the most plugged-in analysts to the Cowboys.

On the EDGE front, it sounds like Miami’s Akheem Mesidor is a true candidate at 12, while UCF’s Malachi Lawrence and Clemson’s TJ Parker are risers at 20. Many will worry about Mesidor’s age and injury history, but the talent is undeniable at a major position of need.

Lawrence and Parker differ greatly; the former has little name recognition and hype, while the latter has a ton from his earlier college days. Both will be considered with the 20th pick.

Brugler sounded decently confident Malachi Lawrence will go top 25 on this week’s Building the Beast

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 19, 2026

On the safety front, where Dallas focused heavily in free agency, I still have Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman as part of the Cowboys equation, but not with the 12th pick. The board would have to be pretty wiped out for them to bite that high, despite their new secondary focus.

At linebacker, Georgia’s CJ Allen may be slipping out of contention for the Cowboys. He doesn’t seem particularly healthy, having not been tested at all at the combine and not much at his pro day.

If Dallas doesn’t deem Allen as a worthy pick at 20, they very likely won’t consider the position at all with that pick.