Cowboys Predicted to Have ‘Perfect' Player Fall to No. 12 in 2026 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys are the wild card of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Different insiders have different insights into what the Cowboys’ plan is for the Nos. 12 and 20 overall picks in the first round on Thursday night.

Some, like Jordan Schultz and Ian Rapoport, have reported that the Cowboys are expected to package their picks to trade into the top five. Several have relayed that Dallas wants Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. ESPN’s Peter Schrager and Matt Miller each project the Cowboys to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Daniel Jeremiah’s final NFL.com mock draft has Dallas going with a left-field pick, even though it still aligns with the universal expectation that the Cowboys will prioritize defense.

Jeremiah projects Ohio State safety Caleb Downs to fall to Dallas at No. 12 overall.

“This is a perfect scenario for the Cowboys,” Jeremiah wrote. “Downs suffers a bit from a positional-value fall and gives Dallas an instant-impact player on a defense that allowed the most points per game (30.1) and passing yards per game (251.5) last season.”

For all interesting Cowboys fans, Jeremiah has them drafting UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence at No. 20 overall.

Drafting Downs without having to trade up for him would be quite the steal for Dallas, especially considering legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban believes Downs is the best player in this draft class.

“Caleb Downs made more plays in college than anybody in the draft,” Saban said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, later adding, “I would say that when he played for us as a freshman, he would have been the first safety taken in the draft. The guy is so instinctive.”

As Saban said, Downs played his freshman season at Alabama in 2023, and he led the SEC with 70 total tackles. He transferred to Ohio State and was named an All-American en route to winning the national championship to cap the 2024 season. Last season, Downs was named an All-American again and added the 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.

Downs will be in attendance for the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh and will hear his name called sooner than later on Thursday night.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 6:52 PM.