The Athletic’s draft analyst Dane Brugler is highly regarded and respected in NFL circles. Because of that, he is tapped into the way teams could be approaching the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft and the players
they could be targeting. That means when he releases a mock draft, we may want to pay a little more attention to what he has to say.
Brugler recently released his 2026 mock draft 2.0 and made some interesting selections for all 32 teams. Not surprisingly, he selected back-to-back defensive players for the Dallas Cowboys with their two first-round picks, No. 12 and 20. Do you think you made the right selections or would you have gone a different direction?
12. Dallas Cowboys: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
The last time the Cowboys had top-20 picks, in 2005, they went with two defenders (Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears). That is the expected approach for Dallas in the upcoming draft, too.
At 6 feet 4 inches and 240 pounds with 4.5 speed, Styles is a freak of nature. He doesn’t miss tackles, and has read-react skills get better with every game.
20. Dallas Cowboys (from GB): Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, doesn’t have his elite size –and it shows at times versus bigger targets. But he does have NFL-level athleticism and competes like a linebacker Over the last two seasons, Terrell has combined for 25 passes defensed and eight forced fumbles. He has a “Honey Badger” aura to him.
Thoughts on the Sonny Styles selection…
Sonny Styles seems to have already become a fan favorite for the Cowboys with the No. 12 pick in the first round. It actually makes a lot of sense considering how terrible the linebacker play was last season. Styles would likely be a huge upgrade at the position, and if his playmaking ability is as advertised he likely be a cornerstone player they can build around for years to come.
Having said all that though, linebacker is not a position the Cowboys have placed a big priority on in the past several years. The last time they did was when they drafted Micah Parsons at No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft, and they ended up moving him to EDGE. It will be interesting to see if they believe Styles is worthy of taking there or if they would go a different direction at a position they place a higher value on.
Thoughts on the Avieon Terrell selection…
Dane Brugler’s second selection in the first round for the Cowboys is an interesting one as well. Dallas has had certain parameters they like in their cornerbacks and Avieon Terrell falls a little short of them at just 5’11”, 180 pounds. Depending on who the next defensive coordinator is, this could be somewhat of a concern or not, but we won’t know that until they finally hire someone.
Cornerback is without a doubt a position of need now that Trevon Diggs is no longer in the picture and especially with DaRon Bland having another foot surgery. We can’t forget Shavon Revel is still a question mark as well. So, going CB at either 12 or 20 makes sense, but the player they target with either pick could ultimately be decided depending on what they do in free agency and what the next defensive coordinator prefers at the position.
