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Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke granted an extra year of eligibility for 2026 after court ruling.
The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly considering trading up from the 12th to the 6th pick in the NFL draft to select linebacker Sonny Styles from Ohio State, as indicated by multiple mock drafts.
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When a mock draft has a team moving up six spots in the first round to draft an elite defensive player, itâs worth reporting. When two mock drafts come out on the same day and propose the same trade, suddenly there looks like there could be something there.
As it turns out, three mock drafts, from three of the biggest names in these things) dropped on Wednesday that all have Dallas moving up from No. 12 to No. 6 to grab the same player, Sonny Stiles, the linebacker from Ohio State.
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Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) pressures Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) during the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, 2025. Ohio State lost 13-10.
Meanwhile, did Jerry Jones do something to torpedo another defensive player supposed to be off the board before Dallas picks at No. 12? Probably not, but the source of that rumor is used to being outrageous. Letâs see whatâs up in the Big D.
When a number of mock drafts suddenly reach a consensus a week before the April 23 NFL draft, perhaps there is something there. So it is with Dallas and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, who three different, prominent NFL insiders â ESPNâs Mel Kiper, The Ringerâs Todd McShay and The Athleticâs Dane Brugler â had Dallas trading up for in mock drafts released Wednesday.
The Cowboys are looking to enhance their defense by acquiring Sonny Styles, who is considered an elite linebacker prospect.
The Dallas Cowboys are looking to trade up from the 12th to the 6th pick in the NFL draft, but specific details about the other team involved have not been disclosed.
Sonny Styles plays as a linebacker, showcasing strong defensive skills during his time at Ohio State.
Moving up six spots could allow the Cowboys to secure a top-tier player like Sonny Styles, which could significantly impact their defensive lineup.

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All three had Dallas trading up from 12 to 6 with Cleveland to draft Styles, who is now projected to fall past the New York Giants at No. 5.
The details are a bit different. Kiper and Brugler both have Dallas trading this yearâs 12 and 20 and also getting Clevelandâs second-round pick at No. 39. Brugler also has Dallas throwing in a fourth-round pick next year. McShay has Dallas giving up the 12, the 92 pick (third round) and 2027âs second-round pick straight up for No. 6.
Brugler writes: âThe Cowboys could sit at No. 12 and have an impact defender fall to them, but it wonât be surprising if the organization gets aggressive. Styles would not only be an immediate starter at a position of need, but also wear the green dot as a rookie. In this projected trade, the Cowboys surrender two of the first-rounders they hold this year (plus a 2027 pick), but they get back into Round 2.â
In Kiperâs projection, the Dallas Cowboys select Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 39.
Kiper writes: âHere's the final pick involved in my projected Cleveland-Dallas trade. I love Parker's speed-to-power and how he plays to the whistle. His sack count dipped from 11 to five in 2025, but he knows how to cause problems for opponent QBs, with 114 pressures over the past three years. The Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary, and they can continue cleaning up the pass rush with this promising prospect.â
Media provocateur Skip Bayless is trying to stir up more trouble with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on his The Arena: Gridiron podcast, and this one is particularly off the wall.
Last week a story broke that in March 2024 top draft prospect Rueben Bain from Miami was a driver in an accident that killed a passenger, Destiny Betts. Bain was initially ticketed (careless driving), but charges were later dropped, and he was never given a breathalyzer. Bain is widely expected to go in the 8-10 range in the first round, so just before Dallas at 12.
Except last week, this two-year-old story broke, and Bayless has anti-Jones opinions.
âThe story popped up last week, two years after the fact, Dallas picks 12th, and if I know Jerry Jones â I wouldnât put it past Jerry to leak something like this because he knew the background,â Bayless said. âIâm not saying he did, but this is the Jerry I know because I was around him a lot in Dallas, and this happens all the time that a team will leak something like this when theyâve donât their homework and research, and theyâre totally cool with it.
âIt was just an accident. He rearended the guy, he just didnât stop fast enough, and it was a tragedy, but it was a tragic accident. Jerry has had a long list of off-the-field hell-raisers. His all-time favorite player is Michael Irvin, who frankly made Aqib (Talib) look like a choir boy. ⊠And so, Jerry is used to that kind of behavior.
âEven Ezekiel Elliot had off-the-field stuff at Ohio State, and Jerry took him fourth overall. Would Jerry take Rueben Bain now? Again, I donât know the exact background that theyâre checking into as we speak, but yeah, he probably would. Heâd probably love it if Rueben Bain fell to 12.â
As Bayless indicated, this is pure speculation. Mel Kiperâs mock drafts still have Bain at No. 8, as concerns about the length of his arms are a bigger issue than a two-year-old accident.
Dallas lost another part of its history when former center John Fitzgerald, who helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl wins in Super Bowl VI and XII in his 12-year career with the Cowboys, passed away Wednesday at the age of 77.
Per DallasCowboys.com: âBeginning in 1975, Fitzgerald was the foundation for head coach Tom Landry's reintroduction of the famed shotgun offense, easily handling the transition of hiking the ball a farther distance to quarterback Roger Staubach. Thus would begin a stretch of three times in four seasons that the Cowboys would reach the Super Bowl, winning it all in 1977 with a 27-10 defeat of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.â
Here is the list of the Cowboys' picks for the NFL draft, which is April 23-25. The first round is on the 23rd, the second and third are on the 24th and rounds three through seven are on the 25th.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Cowboys draft trade for Sonny Styles gains traction