As things stand right now, barring any trades, the Dallas Cowboys currently hold two first-round draft picks in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft in April. What they end up doing with those two selections is anyone’s guess right now, but one thing’s for sure, they can afford to miss on either one.
The Cowboys need to come away with plug-and-play starter’s with their two first-round picks this year. They can’t afford to take a risk on players like they have done in the past and Jerry Jones has said as much.
With that in mind, here are five buyer-beware prospects that they may want to avoid this year.
CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
McCoy is one of the most polarizing prospects in the entire 2026 draft class. Even after not playing a single snap in 2025 because of injury, he’s still considered one of the best CB prospects, maybe the best. If he has a strong showing at his Pro Day on March 31 his name will likely resurface in the CB1 discussion with Mansoor Delane. If he performs as expected, he could be a plug-and-play starter and perhaps the best CB on the roster with the Cowboys. Until he answers a lot of questions though, he’ll remain a buyer beware prospect for Dallas in the first-round.
Edge Keldric Faulk, Auburn
At just 20 years old, Faulk is one of the more intriguing edge prospects in the 2026 draft class. From a height, weight, length, and athleticism standpoint he checks all of the boxes teams look for in a prototypical edge prospect. Sadly though, the production didn’t match the intangibles during his time in Auburn. That hasn’t stopped him from being ranked as a first-round prospect though. He’s a buyer beware prospect because his impressive athletic traits may never equate to production at the next level, something Dallas has to consider.
Edge Akheem Mesidor, Miami
From a talent and production standpoint, Mesidor is without a doubt one of the best edge rushers in the 2026 draft class. He has the talent and skill set to be a plug-and-play starter as a rookie, but despite that he’s still very much a buyer-beware prospect. Not only is he one of the older (25) players getting first-round consideration, but he also has a well documented injury history with his feet. Those are some serious concerns the Cowboys need to take into consideration, but then the end, the talent may outweigh those red flags.
DT Peter Woods, Clemson
Throughout his tenure at Clemson Woods has shown flashes of first-round talent, but not the consistency to make him a lock, making him a buyer-beware prospect. For the most part, the Cowboys haven’t valued the DT position in the first-round for the better part of three decades. The lone exception was Mazi Smith a few years ago and we all know how that turned out. That’s not to say any interest Dallas may have in Woods would negate him as a first-round target, but taking everything into consideration he’s definitely a buyer-beware prospect for them.
LB CJ Allen, Georgia
If you go by film alone, Allen is one of the better linebacker prospects in the entire 2026 draft class. But he didn’t do himself any favors skipping all athletic testing at the combine and again at his Pro Day. He did do some position drills at his Pro Day, but skipping the athletic testing feels almost as if he’s trying to hide some of his deficiencies as a potential first-round selection. This makes him a buyer beware prospect for the Cowboys, and that’s especially true considering he’d likely need to be a plug-and-play starter at MLB for them as a rookie.
Who is a prospect that worries you in the draft?
