The Cowboys went into the draft thinking their chances of landing Ohio State safety Caleb Downs were “a longshot.” Downs, though, was on the board for the taking at No. 11, and the Cowboys traded up one spot to draft a safety in the first round for the first time since 2002 when Roy Williams was the pick at No. 8 overall.
Owner Jerry Jones called Downs a player capable of being “a quarterback of the defense.”
Like Hall of Fame finalist Darren Woodson back in the 1990s, the Cowboys believe Downs can play safety, nickel and corner.
“I think it’s just being able to make plays in all facets of the game,” Downs said of how he fits in the Cowboys’ defense, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website. “Whether that’s near the line of scrimmage or in the deep part of the field, I feel like I could do it all and it’ll be a great relationship to be able to do that with the Cowboys.”
The Cowboys have never won a Super Bowl without a Hall of Fame-caliber safety on their roster. They had Hall of Famer Cliff Harris on their roster for their two Super Bowl wins in the 1970s and Woodson for their three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, though Woodson was a rookie in 1992.
“He’s a multiplier,” Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay said of Downs. “He’s going to make other people better.”
The Cowboys gave up a team-record 511 points last season, ranking among the worst defenses in the NFL in most of the major categories.
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.
