Before the draft got underway on Thursday night, there were multiple reports that Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will sign his franchise tag and the team confirmed it when they met with the media after the first round.
The move comes a day after the Cowboys announced that they will not be signing Pickens to a long-term deal this offseason and it guarantees him $27.3 million for the 2026 season. It also allows the Cowboys to trade Pickens, but executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Thursday night that such a move is not on the team’s radar.
“We have no intention of moving George,” Jones said, via the team’s website. “We’re fired up about him signing his [tag], because it means he’s ready to come in here and get to work. . . . We have zero intention of moving [him].”
Assuming nothing changes on the contract or trade front, Pickens’ future will again be a topic of great interest in the 2027 offseason. For now, though, he’s set for a second season in Dallas.
As the Steelers moved quickly with the truncated window to make their first pick in the 2026 draft, they didn’t know the guy they wanted was already gone.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Steelers thought receiver Makai Lemon would be available at No. 21. They didn’t know the Eagles had moved up to No. 20 with the Cowboys to snatch Lemon.
Rapoport reports that the Steelers called Lemon without realizing the Eagles had moved up. The Eagles weren’t able to reach Lemon because he was on the phone with the Steelers.
New Steelers coach Mike McCarthy can thank one of his former teams for giving the Lemon pick to a division rival. Without the trade down, the Cowboys wouldn’t have taken Lemon. The trade let it happen.
UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence is heading to Dallas.
With the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Cowboys have selected Lawrence, who spent five seasons at Central Florida and was an All-Big 12 selection last season.
The Cowboys had the 23rd pick after two trades: They initially got the 20th overall pick from trading Micah Parsons to the Packers, then moved down from No. 20 to No. 23 in a trade with the Eagles.
Trading Parsons away was a big hit to the Cowboys’ pass rush. Now they’re hoping Lawrence can become a big addition to their pass rush.
The Cowboys traded up from 12 to 11 to take Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. They traded down from 20 to 23.
The Eagles gave Dallas picks No. 23, 114 and 137 to move up three spots.
Philadelphia selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, another sign the team will trade veteran wideout A.J. Brown after June 1.
Brown is not attending the Eagles’ voluntary offseason program as he seeks clarity on his future.
Lemon will join DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore at the position in Philadelphia.
He led the Trojans in receiving each of the past two seasons, becoming an All-American and winning the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver in 2025. Lemon caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final college season.
The Ohio State University is dominating The 2026 NFL draft.
Four Buckeyes have gone off the board in the first eleven pick.
The Cowboys completed the quartet by taking safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 overall. Dallas traded up from No. 12 in a move with the Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys gave up two fifth-round picks to execute the flip-flop — picks No. 177 and No. 180.
That’s huge for the Dolphins, since they need as much young and cheap talent as they can get, given that they’re carrying $99.2 million in dead money over the next two years due to the failed Tua Tagovailoa contract.
For Dallas, it’s an effort to improve a defense that was not nearly good enough in 2025. Downs should make a huge difference.
