Cowboys could go in unexpected direction in first round

TEMPE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 18: Jordyn Tyson #0 of the Arizona State Sun Devils during the NCAAF game at Mountain America Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Red Raiders 26-22. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Have you ever walked into one of those funhouses at a carnival? The kind where the mirrors are all warped and you can get kind of lost? Sometimes you wind up bumping into one because you are so confused by the optical illusion.

You know this when you walk into the experience. It is understood that you are going to be tricked, hoodwinked, and bamboozled. The final few days before the NFL draft can sometimes be the same way.

Dallas Cowboys may go offense with their first pick

Let’s be clear that anything is possible, especially in the NFL draft. What we are about to discuss sounds farfetched, but the point of the funhouse analogy wasn’t to say it is totally impossible.

As the eleventh hour passes, reports are starting to emerge that the Dallas Cowboys could maybe go offense in the first round and specifically with their first overall selection. This logic is born out of the hypothetical that defense gets wiped out before they pick at 12 overall and do not trade up, and that they simply take their highest-rated prospect who is on the board at that time.

ESPN’s Todd Archer summed it up well here.

Almost all of the mock draft focus on the Cowboys has been about the defense and deservedly so. Throughout the offseason, however, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said helping the offense is not out of the question. If the top defensive players are gone by the time the Cowboys pick at No. 12, then they could be staring at the highest-graded prospect on their board being an offensive player, such as receivers Carnell Tate (Ohio State) and Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State).