The Dallas Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the NFL last season, but they had the worst defense in the league, and therefore missed out on the playoffs in year one under Brian Schottenheimer. However, they have two first round draft picks this year, which they should be able to use to add impact players to their defense, and hopefully improve enough to make the postseason in 2026.

As we count down the days until the 2026 NFL Draft, I’ve been creating one 7-round mock draft a day until I cover all 32 NFL teams. I’ve already hit on the first 11 teams, so now it’s time for the Cowboys, who pick No. 12 and No. 20 in the NFL Draft.

Round 1, Pick 12: CB Jermod McCoy

The Cowboys need a cornerback, and with Mansoor Delane already off the board, they go with the next-best corner in this draft, Jermod McCoy. The Tennessee product missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL, but it’s been over a year since the injury, so he’s pretty much 100 percent. If it weren’t for the injury, he probably would’ve been a top-10 pick in the draft, so getting him at 12 could be a steal.

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Right now, Dallas doesn’t have a true CB1. DaRon Bland is a ballhawk, but he also gets exposed quite often. They had one of the worst passing defenses in the league last season, and McCoy can help fix that. He’s a true lockdown CB1 that can play man and zone coverage. He would be a game changer for this defense.

Round 1, Pick 20: DE Akheem Mesidor

With their second first round pick, which they acquired from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons trade last offseason, the Cowboys select Akheem Mesidor to beef up their pass rush room. They already traded for Rashan Gary, so adding an exciting young talent opposite of him should improve their pass rush greatly.

A lot of people are concerned about Mesidor’s age, but Dallas needs a pass rusher that is ready right now, not one they have to develop for two years like Keldric Faulk. Mesidor’s ready to start in the NFL as a rookie, so he makes a whole lot of sense for Dallas at No. 20.

Round 3, Pick 92: LB Kyle Louis

On top of needing cornerback and edge rusher help, the Cowboys need middle linebacker help. Luckily for them, this middle linebacker class is extremely deep, so finding a potential starter in round three shouldn’t be an issue for them.

Kyle Louis is my favorite third round linebacker. Over his last two seasons at Pitt, he’s totaled 179 tackles, 10 sacks, six interceptions and two forced fumbles. He can do a little bit of everything. He can cover, he can rush the passer and he can defend the run. And on top of that, he’s a pretty dang good athlete. He is exactly what Dallas needs in the middle of their defense.

Round 4, Pick 112: OT Jude Bowry

The Cowboys need a lot of defensive help, but they also need offensive tackle help. Terence Steele and Tyler Guyton were statistically two of the worst tackles in the league last year in pass protection, so while they may not be ready to fully give up on them yet, Dallas needs a backup plan. And in the fourth round, you’re not going to find many guys better than Jude Bowry.

In 2025, Bowry allowed just 14 pressures and zero sacks at Boston College. On top of that, he’s 6-foot-5, 314 pounds and has 33 3/4-inch arms. He’s got the prototypical build and earned the seventh-highest athletic grade of all tackles at the combine, according to NFL.com. He’s got a ton of upside, so he would make sense for Dallas in round four.

Round 5, Pick 152: S VJ Payne

VJ Payne is a baller. Over his past three seasons at Kansas State, Payne has racked up 180 tackles, nine pass breakups, four interceptions and four forced fumbles, and he’s coming off a 2025 campaign where he surrendered a sub-50 percent completion percentage when targeted and only allowed one touchdown. If that wasn’t enough to sway you, he can also fly, running a 4.4-second 40-yard dash.

Dallas added Jalen Thompson to their safety room in free agency – a move that I love – but they still need to add some youth to the backend of their defense. Payne doesn’t need to start right away, but he could be a really solid rotational player for the Cowboys.

Round 5, Pick 177: DE Mason Reiger

Mason Reiger wasn’t on many people’s radar heading into the season, but he broke out in 2025 at Wisconsin, where he logged 41 pressures, 32 hurries and six sacks. On top of his pass rush skills, he was also a great run defender, earning a 78.0 run defense grade with 20 run stops on the season. You’re not going to find many starters in round five, but you can still find impact rotational players.

As we talked about earlier, Dallas needs pass rush help. They got their starter in Akheem Mesidor in the first round, so now they add some depth to a very thin position group.

Round 5, Pick 180: WR Malik Benson

The Cowboys don’t really need receiver help, but George Pickens’ long-term future in Dallas is not guaranteed, and if he does walk in free agency next year, they’re going to have CeeDee Lamb and a bunch of nobodies. I think they need to target a high-upside receiver in the later rounds, and Malik Benson could be that guy.

Benson doesn’t have a whole lot of college production, but his talent was evident this year. He caught 43 passes for 719 yards and six touchdowns, and just ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He’s probably a little smaller than you want your typical NFL receiver to be, standing at 6 feet, 189 pounds, but he makes up for his smaller stature with game-breaking speed. He’d be a fun weapons alongside Pickens and Lamb this year.

Round 7, Pick 218: OG Ar’Maj Reed-Adams

Ar’Maj Reed-Adams isn’t a stellar athlete, but he’s proven to be an incredibly solid pass and run blocker. Over his last two seasons, Reed-Adams has allowed just 24 pressures and two sacks on 739 pass blocking snaps while earning an 85.9 run blocking grade in 2024 and a 75.9 run blocking grade in 2025.

Dallas has a pretty solid interior, but adding depth on the offensive line is never a bad idea, especially when you can get someone like Reed-Adams in the seventh round.