How Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy Saved the Cowboys Draft Plan – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
Good news out of the Jermod McCoy camp.
1. You Can Feel Good About Jermod McCoy at 12
The first thing on this list is fairly obvious: you can feel good about drafting McCoy at 12 after this Pro Day performance.
Jermod McCoy Pro Day🤯
40: 4.38
Vert: 38”
Broad: 10’7”Drafting a guy who we hadn’t seen on the field since December 2024 was going to be a hard sell for many, though Dallas may not have had a choice if the picks ahead didn’t go their way.
Of course, testing isn’t the same as being on the field
and in pads, but this is a huge deal. McCoy showed elite speed and explosion in his broad and vertical jumps, which is 99% of what you worry about following an ACL injury and long rehab.
His talent from 2024 didn’t magically leave him, even if there will be some rust to knock off, and any fears of a decline in athletic ability post-injury are gone.
Jermod McCoy is no longer a reach at 12.
Cowboys’ Christian Parker already has Jerry Jones talking like a defensive guru – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Good signs coming from the defensive side of the ball.
Parker has even rubbed off on Jones, who outlined what the new defense could look like at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting (h/t Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com).
“We’ve made a conscious decision to a blend of the equivalent of a 3-4. We won’t be a current 3-4. You can say that’s with the times too. You got to have flexibility. It’s not new to me from Bill Parcells throughout my time with the sport, even going back to college, of the 3-4 concept can give you a better run. It can give you better run support.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talking about scheme is not something you see everyday
That wasn’t all Jones had to say.
“The question is if that outside guy can do a little pass coverage, cover a little space, plus give you that pressure on the outside. It’s always been the big thing. They call one of them the 9-technique. When you see one that can play the nine, they’re getting pressure on the outside and sliding out in the flat to cover that flat, that’s a rare dude. He’s important, and that’s hard to do.”
Fill out your bingo cards accordingly if you had Jones talking about Dallas being a 3-4 base defense and outlining the coverage responsibilities of the 9-technique position.
Cowboys trade for Maxx Crosby, grab 2 DL, top CB in 7-round mock draft – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
There are a lot of ways this draft can go.
We don’t believe you, you need more people. Here’s a look at how we see this haul playing out with the various position groups.
Edge Rushers
A world where Maxx Crosby, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Rashan Gary, and James Houston are rotational pieces puts Dallas in the upper echelon territory for edge rushers, or at least it does on paper. The Cowboys are in win-now mode despite missing the playoffs the last two seasons. Concerns over Crosby’s knee beyond 2-3 years are thrown by the wayside, and giving up their later first-round pick and a third rounder feels more in line with where his value should be at after failing the Ravens’ physical in early March.
Defensive Interior
The Cowboys have completely remade the defensive front around their 2025 trade acquisitions of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, and this draft haul cements their depth and future. If Parker runs his front in the same wave philosophy as Vic Fangio, adding Gracen Halton to the starting group as the 4i allows Otito Ogbonnia to be a run-down specialist. Jonathan Bullard gets rotation help with Kaleb Proctor as 3Ts behind Williams.
4 Wide Receivers the Cowboys Could Target in 2026 NFL Draft – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
Offensive wweapons the Cowboys could add.
Skyler Bell, Connecticut
At 6-foot-0 and 192 pounds, Skyler Bell isn’t the biggest wide receiver, but he dominated during his final season with the Huskies. Bell had 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He has the versatility to play inside and outside, and displayed solid athleticism at the NFL Combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and recorded a 41-inch vertical jump.
Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
Trey Lance didn’t pan out as the backup quarterback in Dallas, but perhaps they could have better luck with his younger brother. Bryce Lance emerged as a star for North Dakota State, topping 1,000 yards receiving in each of his final two seasons with the Bison.
He doesn’t offer much versatility, seen as primarily an ‘X’ receiver, but he wins contested passes and has more than enough juice to beat defenders downfield.
Daily Discussion Question: Is there any way you think the Cowboys trade up in the first round?
