10 players the Dallas Cowboys could draft with two selections in the first round
The Dallas Cowboys are off and rolling into draft season, as they now know where they will pick in the first round with their two selections.
After finishing the season 7-9-1, the Cowboys were awarded the No. 12 overall pick, and they picked up the No. 20 overall selection by acquiring the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick in the Micah Parsons trade last August.
If the Cowboys keep both picks, it will be the seventh time in the franchise’s history that the team will make multiple selections in the first round. And considering Dallas is heading into an offseason where it needs to rebuild its porous defense from 2025, all eyes are on playmakers on that side of the ball who could land in the top 20.
However, don’t rule out an offensive player being tossed around in discussion. Questions exist at both tackle spots, and team executive vice president Stephen Jones said in the season-end presser that they wouldn’t pass up on a big offensive talent if it fell to them, comparing the situation to the 2020 draft when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell in their lap at No. 17.
With all of that in mind, here are 10 players to monitor early in the draft process as potential selections in the first round:
DB Caleb Downs, Ohio State
2025 stats: 68 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2 INT, 1.0 sack (ninth in Heisman Trophy voting)
Height, weight: 6-0, 205 pounds
By far and away considered the best defensive back in the draft class, Downs would be a day one starter anywhere in the secondary for the Cowboys. While mostly a box safety with specialties playing the run and covering a large pass range, Downs has flexibility to play at the nickel spot or as a rover linebacker/safety hybrid. For a new defensive coordinator, it would immediately give him a piece to move around and experiment with in a lot of areas to find Downs’ highest impact. Although the safety position is typically devalued in the first round, Downs could go before the Cowboys have a chance to pick. But if he is available at No. 12, it’s hard to imagine many better players would be on the board.
DL Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
2025 stats: 46 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 1 INT
Height, weight: 6-3, 270 pounds
Speaking of versatile pieces, would the Cowboys rather have flexibility on the defensive line? If so, Bain would be another fun piece for a new defensive coordinator. While he played the majority of his snaps on the edge, Bain did play 17% of his snaps in 2025 at defensive tackle, where he flashed in the run game and in pass rush situations. How many teams decide to take an edge rusher in the top 11 will determine Bain’s availability, but his impact as a multifaceted pass rusher and run defender would make him an intriguing option at No. 12 if he’s on the board.
LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
2025 stats: 82 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-4, 243 pounds
If you want a thumping linebacker with range across the middle, Styles is your guy. He was the lead communicator for college football’s best defense in 2025 (10.0 points allowed per game) and led the group in tackles over the past two seasons. His physical traits make life difficult for crossing receivers and tight ends in the pass game, while his instincts lead to massive collisions in the run game that led to him missing just two tackles all season (both in the team’s Cotton Bowl playoff loss to Miami at AT&T Stadium). The front office has already said that it will focus on improving the linebacker room this offseason. Landing Styles at No. 12 would be a huge step in that direction.
EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
2025 stats: 52 tackles, 19.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks (led FBS), 3 FF, 3 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-3, 250 pounds
Bailey very well could be off the board when the Cowboys make their selection at No. 12. But if teams in front of them go for some of these aforementioned names on this list or more than a couple of quarterbacks, Bailey could be the beaming light shining in front of the Dallas war room. An old-school look with no gloves or accessories, Bailey turns his unassuming aura to chaos and athleticism around the edge as the class’ top producer in sacks and tackles for loss from 2025. The Cowboys needed a game-changer off the edge last year, and Bailey could provide that with a selection in April.
CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
2025 stats: 45 tackles, 2 INT, 11 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-0, 190 pounds
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been very clear about what he wants from his cornerback room that he didn’t get in 2025: ball production. In 17 games, his entire array of cornerbacks (11 played snaps last season) combined for just 15 pass deflections and two interceptions. Delane played in 11 games and totaled 11 pass deflections and two interceptions. Simple connection, there. Aside from that, his presence on the boundary allowed just 13 receptions for 147 yards on 35 targets in 2025. The cornerback room in Dallas has a lot of question marks, and Delane would immediately provide consistency to a position group that is begging for it entering the offseason.
LB CJ Allen, Georgia
2025 stats: 88 tackles, 8.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 2 FF, 4 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-1, 235 pounds
Another signal-caller from one of the nation’s best defenses, Allen marries sideline-to-sideline presence with instinctual run-fit ability that makes him a first-round type of talent. While picking him at No. 12 might be a stretch, he could fall right into Dallas’ sweet spot at No. 20 if the Cowboys do not select a linebacker with their first selection. The Cowboys need a smart player in the middle of their defense, and Allen can immediately provide that.
EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
2025 stats: 31 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 11 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-3, 250 pounds
When Howell disrupts a game off the edge as a pass rusher and run defender, there are few, if any, in the class that are more productive and violent. However, it’s not seen in every game, as six of his 11 sacks came in two games this past season. His flash and explosiveness warrant a first-round selection, but a team will have to form a plan on how to consistently get his best over the course of a 17-game season. Howell would theoretically step into Dallas as a premier pass rusher, although it could be in a rotational role until consistency shows. Expect this name to be tossed around for possibilities at No. 20.
CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
2024 stats (did not play in 2025 due to torn ACL): 44 tackles, 4 INT, 9 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-0, 193 pounds
Just what Dallas needs, another cornerback coming off a major injury! For real though, can the Cowboys even justify another banged-up cornerback like McCoy with DaRon Bland needing another foot surgery and Shavon Revel Jr. still working back to 100 percent? If the answer is yes, McCoy does have some phenomenal tape from his one season at Oregon State and his 2024 year at Tennessee. The aforementioned needed ball production shows up, and it would allow the Cowboys to continue finding Bland’s best position among the cornerback placements.
EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
2025 stats: 29 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 4 pass deflections
Height, weight: 6-6, 288 pounds
Faulk is a great example of a dominant physical presence on the defensive line opening up opportunities for the rest of the defense. His massive frame around the edge forced double-digit tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2024. But with more offensive line dedication toward Faulk in 2025, Auburn had two of the most productive linebackers in the entire country with free tackle and pass rush lanes. Faulk will be knocked for his lack of production in his final season, but the tape shows a pest up front who trickles production and success down to the rest of the defense.
OT Spencer Fano, Utah
2025 stats: 2 sacks and 21 QB pressures allowed over 293 pass blocking snaps
Height, weight: 6-6, 305 pounds
If we’re talking about a Cowboys first-round pick, an offensive lineman has to at least be mentioned. And if you’re looking at where Dallas could make some changes up front going into the offseason, right tackle Terence Steele could be a cap casualty. The ideal scenario if that happens would be Dallas seeing Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa fall to No. 12, but having the opportunity to grab Fano at No. 20 would be more realistic. Fano’s 2025 tape sees him playing left tackle at a solid level, but his two previous seasons show dominant play at right tackle that could pave the way for him to be a day one starter in the NFL.
