The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the draft with eight total selections, but the road to get there has been anything but simple. There has been a lot of shuffling around, and surprisingly, only three of those eight are actually their own original draft picks – 12, 112, and 152. The front office has been busy wheeling and dealing over the past couple of years, culminating in a haul of draft picks spread all over the place for a variety of reasons. Most of the furniture is still there, it’s just
been rearranged, and we’re all curious to see how it makes the place look after the 2026 NFL Draft has completed.
It might be shocking to learn that the team traded away four of their original picks from this year. Many are well aware of the big names. They don’t have a second-round pick because of the Quinnen Williams trade, and they don’t have a third because of George Pickens. Some lesser-known deals that went down include giving up a sixth-round pick to acquire Jordan Phillips back at the start of 2024 and then trading away a seventh-round pick to get Kaiir Elam last season. Neither of those players amounted to much in Dallas.
The team was also able to gather up some extra draft capital by trading away some players of their own. Of course, the big one is Micah Parsons, which is why the Cowboys own the 20th overall pick in the draft, but there are also a couple of others. The front office recently dealt away Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers in exchange for a third-round pick. And then, back at final roster cuts in 2024, they traded Peyton Hendershot to the Chiefs for a future seventh-round pick, and that future is now. The Cowboys don’t actually own that pick anymore, as they swapped seventh-rounders with the Titans to move up a few spots by giving them Solomon Thomas.
If all of this is making you dizzy, don’t fret. That’s a lot of movement. Rest assured, the Cowboys front office has been busy. And we’re not done just yet.
Adding a little extra flavor to the pot, the Cowboys were awarded two compensatory picks for a couple of big-name departures. Losing DeMarcus Lawrence and Jourdan Lewis both scored them fifth-round comp picks. These picks might be later in the day, but they provide crucial depth for a team looking to round out its roster with fresh talent.
When you look at the big picture, the Cowboys have done a massive amount of shuffling to arrive at this final list. Despite all the trades and the loss of some original selections, they have maintained a healthy amount of draft capital to really shake things up on draft night. And don’t be surprised if there is even more movement on draft day that moves these selections around even more. With all these dancing chips, it should make for an exciting weekend.
