Dallas Cowboys reps attend Cotton Bowl, see potential top draft picks shine
On Wednesday night, the Miami Hurricanes pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the College Football Playoff with a 24-14 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium.
And if you watched closely, you may have seen a lot of candidates for future Dallas Cowboys draft picks, as soon as the 2026 draft in April.
On Ohio State, the names are aplenty. Safety Caleb Downs is expected to go in the top five. Linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese are expected in the top 20. Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald could sneak his way into the first round.
On the winning Miami sideline, the names are just as plentiful. Right tackle Francis Mauigoa could be the immediate Terence Steele replacement if the Cowboys decide to move on from him in the offseason. Edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor could be first-round picks who would immediately bolster Dallas’ pass rush from its dormant post-Micah Parsons era.
With representatives from the Cowboys in attendance to scout the game, don’t be surprised if one of these names ends up getting selected in the first round by the franchise.
“It’d be amazing,” Bain said about potentially getting selected by Dallas. “Any opportunity I can get, no matter where I’m playing, it’d be a blessing. I’ve already made myself familiar with the [stadium] grounds. It’d be an amazing opportunity.”
Bain recorded one sack while his partner in crime, Mesidor, recorded two sacks on Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin.
“It’d mean the world,” Mesidor said about being selected by Dallas. “My whole life, I’ve been fighting for this opportunity. I just want the opportunity to fight for what I deserve.”
Behind Mauigoa, the Miami offense rushed for 153 yards in a commanding win over the Buckeyes. The opportunity to play at AT&T Stadium in this game gave the American Samoa native a preview of what life will look like for him in less than a year.
“It’d be a dream come true,” Mauigoa said. “I dream about playing for the NFL, and this is about as closest as I can get to being in an NFL game. At AT&T Stadium, this is a dream come true. All the hard work I’ve been putting in is for this moment right here. If God blessed me with a first-round pick, that team would get everything I got.”
While Ohio State’s journey comes to an end, the trio of Hurricanes will head to Arizona to play in the Fiesta Bowl for a chance at moving on to the CFP national championship right back at their home stadium in Miami.
When the journey does eventually come to a close, though, Bain, Mesidor and Mauigoa will come into focus for all 32 teams as potential first-round selections in April.
Could the Cowboys snag one of them?
