Given that the Dallas Cowboys’ first pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is number 12 overall, there is a finite number of conceivable permutations that make sense. It is the NFL draft and anything can happen, but you get the point. We have a pretty solid idea of the types of names who are going to be there at 12.
We see this play itself out in mock draft after mock draft. Similar names, mostly from the same position, are sent to the Cowboys. Some of that may wind up being legitimate and
not just smoke, and other times it is a potential breadcrumb worth following.
ESPN connected a popular name to the Cowboys
ESPN’s Field Yates assembled a mock draft on Tuesday and in it he sent a very popular name (as far as mock drafts are concerned) to the Cowboys at number 12.
12. Dallas Cowboys
Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
One of the true wild cards in this draft is McCoy, as he’s a top-10 talent but has not played or worked out for scouts since an ACL tear in January 2025. He is expected to participate in Tennessee’s pro day March 31, which will help solidify this ceiling if he’s healthy.
At his best, McCoy is the top coverage cornerback in this class, with exceptional length (77-inch wingspan), ball skills, patience and timing to disrupt wideouts. In a full 2024 season, he had four interceptions and seven passes defensed. The Cowboys need all the cornerback help they can get after finishing last in yards per dropback allowed (7.3) and total pass breakups (30).
You do not have to look far to see someone send Jermod McCoy to the Cowboys as this is a pretty chalk thing right now. Most Cowboys fans are scared off by the fact that he is coming off of an ACL injury and the team has said that they may not go down this path in 2026 despite doing so in the past.
To Yates’ credit, he definitely zagged at number 20 overall.
20. Dallas Cowboys (from GB)
R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma
Thomas is my type of football player as an explosive, powerful and relentless pass rusher. Plus, he has heavy hands and a nasty attitude when defending the run (21 run stops over the past two seasons). Thomas dealt with an injury for part of the 2025 season, but he still finished with 6.5 sacks and 23 pressures in nine games.
The Cowboys must keep hammering away at their pass rush to find some semblance of what they had with Micah Parsons. Dallas traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary to boost this same initiative.
It definitely makes sense for the Cowboys to take a pass rusher at some point and pick 20 is where it seems like the value is going to be a better fit. R Mason Thomas is not a name that we have seen connected to the team all too often, so this is definitely a unique twist.
How would you feel about this combination? Better than others? Namely those that include McCoy?
