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The Dallas Cowboys have had some strong NFL Draft successes in recent years.
Heading into the 2026 edition, it's clear that this will be an important set of picks. The Cowboys have two choices in the first round (12 and 20), raising the stakes.
They're also coming off a rough season in which the playoffs never felt that close.
The main good news of the 2025 campaign was that it showed Dallas exactly what it needed to do in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Now, with the draft this week, it's time to execute.
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What would be a disaster Cowboys draft in 2026?
The reality is that a Cowboys disaster would simply dismiss defensive needs.
Dallas needs to focus on defense, and every analyst has predicted as such in mock drafts.
But there's the Jerry Jones element here. He's always a tad unpredictable. What if he goes rogue and decides to make a move for a flashy offensive player?
That would be a disaster, even if he picked a good player.
Why Cowboys picking offense would be a disaster
The Cowboys already have a good offense, one of the best skill-position groups in football to go along with a solid offensive line.
That didn't matter in 2025. They weren't a good team because their defense was so poor.
Picking another good offensive player is only a marginal gain over what is already a strong unit.
The Cowboys need, as ESPN's Ben Solak put it in a recent article, is: "Defense, defense, defense."
"Let's start in the trenches and work backward," Solak wrote. "They need an additional pass rusher badly, as Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku are useful players but not every-down dominators. Could the Cowboys package pick Nos. 12 and 20 to move up into the top five for Arvell Reese (Ohio State) or David Bailey (Texas Tech)? Or would they instead play the patient game, either to wait for Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) or go another direction in Caleb Downs (Ohio State safety) or Sonny Styles (Ohio State linebacker)?"
Obviously, the Cowboys have to pick the right players. That goes without saying.
But those players better play defense. At least if that's the case, they can come out of the draft feeling like they tried to do the best thing.
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