With the Shrine Game over, the Reese’s Senior Bowl coming up this weekend, and the NFL draft just under three months away, most of the Dallas Cowboys fan base has their eyes focused on the 2026 NFL draft.
Today we will take a look at a four-round scenario, but with a twist. Our good buddy John Owning and Marcus Mosher brought up the Nick Herbig trade idea earlier this week.
Today we will look at a similar scenario that the Cowboys would be wise to consider over the next few months.
Let’s dive in.
TRADE
(DAL trades 1:12 (1,200 points) to PIT for 1:21, 2:53, & 5:159 (1,197.8 points, Pittsburgh selects USC WR Makai Lemon)
Round 1, 21st Overall
(Players available: Aveion Terrell, CJ Allen, Colton Hood, Akheem Mesidor)
T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
It is no secret that the Cowboys are hunting pass rushers, cornerbacks, and linebackers early in this class. Luckily for the Cowboys they have multiple options to choose from.
Moving back this far in the first can be risky, but falling back nine spots allows Dallas to recoup a second- and fifth-round pick. When on the clock at 12, zero offensive lineman had been taken, only one wide receiver had been taken (Carnell Tate), and zero defensive tackles had been taken. At 12, both Sonny Styles and Mansoor Delane had already been drafted, leaving Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk the best fits for Dallas at 12. Not loving those options, trading back felt best and we ended up with a really good player in T.J. Parker.
Parker was primed to be top five pick in the 2026 draft before having a slower season in 2025 compared to his 2024 season at Clemson. Like a lot of Clemson defenders, Parker’s saw his sacks, hits, and hurries fall, but his pass-rush win rate and run-stop rate were still very good. Parker is off to a hot start in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and is putting his pass rush arsenal on display in practices. Parker’s size (6’3” 260-lbs) and ability to play all three-downs at a high-level is something the Cowboys missed after trading Micah Parsons before the season.
Parker may not be a double-digit sack guy early in his NFL career, but his floor is a sure-fire starter at defensive end with some upside still to be unlocked as a pass rusher off the edge.
TRADE
Round 1, 20th Overall
(DAL trades 1:20 to KC for CB Trent McDuffie and 2:40)
Here’s where things get fun. With all the talk of the Nick Herbig trade this week, I dove into a few other scenarios that could make sense for the Cowboys to explore with player and pick-swap trades.
Trent McDuffie’s name has been hot on the rumor mill as a likely trade candidate leading into the offseason. McDuffie has been an excellent corner in Kansas City since being drafted in 2022. He is currently playing on his fifth-year option in 2026, and Kansas City may be in for a bit of a rebuild after a down year and Patrick Mahomes likely to miss some of the 2026 season recovering from the torn ACL he suffered at the end of the regular season.
McDuffie has played all over the field for Steve Spagnola in Kansas City showing the versatility and skill-set to dominate both outside and from the slot. McDuffie would immediately upgrade the Cowboys defense that struggled to showing any resistance against opposing passing games in 2025.
Round 2, 40th Overall
(Players available: Dillon Thieneman, Zion Young, D’Angelo Ponds)
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
Jerry Jones made it clear after trading Micah Parsons that they did it to improve their run defense. While the Cowboys still ranked out as one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, they were even worse (understandably) as a pass defense. Now with the additions of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark to help improve the run defense, the Cowboys can turn their focus to the secondary and pass rush to improve their pass defense.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is in a tight race with Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and LSU’s A.J. Haulcy to be the first safety drafted in April. With safety still being somewhat devalued by NFL teams, it would not be a surprise if we do not see a safety drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. After the few moves we made, that is great news for the Cowboys now owning the 40th overall pick.
McNeil-Warren possesses all the traits you dream of in a safety prospect in 2026. He’s tall, long, athletic, and physical. He can play around the line of scrimmage, deep, or handle coverage duties out of the slot, though he fits best as a swiss-army knife type of player.
With multiple impact defenders needed on all three levels in the Dallas defense, McNeil-Warren’s fit in new defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme would give Parker a three-level difference maker that can impact the game in many ways.
Round 2, 53rd Overall
(Players available: D’Angelo Ponds, Romello Height, Jake Golday)
Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri
With an emphasis on adding defensive talent, we go back to the defensive well to improve the linebacker room. Josiah Trotter is everything the Cowboys need in a linebacker after a disastrous season from the linebacker room in 2025.
Trotter is big, fast, physical, and is one of the best tacklers in this draft. He is your prototypical MIKE linebacker with an aggressive downhill trigger to fill gaps and make stops in the running game. While most of Trotter’s best work comes as a run defender, some of his athletic limitations and bigger build leads to some struggles in coverage. Trotter brings NFL bloodlines to the table and has the attitude and demeanor that was lacking in Dallas last season. For a defense that felt like it had very few leaders, Trotter brings violence, attitude, and enforcer like tendencies to a position the Cowboys desperately need an upgrade at as soon as possible.
Round 4, 112th Overall
(Players available: Kaytron Allen, Michael Taaffe, Skylar Gill-Howard)
Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
Finally! An offensive player!
After doing some damage on the defensive side of the ball, we turn to the offensive line to fill a glaring hole at right tackle. Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor has been a recent riser in rankings after impressing early at the Senior Bowl.
Iheanachor is a two-year starter at right tackle for the Sun Devils and has developed quicker than expected. He has a basketball background, and while he’s a bit behind the curve from a technical aspect, the athletic upside is what you dream of. Iheanachor may not be ready to be a 17 game starter right away in the NFL, but given the size, length, and athletic traits, he is a day two/three tackle prospect that could develop into a quality starter with the right coaching.
