The Dallas Cowboys' rookie pair, Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence, are emerging as favorites for the NFL Rookie of the Year award after impressive draft selections. Downs was picked at No. 11, while Lawrence was selected at No. 23.
Cowboys Rookie Pair Already Rank Among Rookie Of The Year Favorites
One could say that the Dallas Cowboys, at least in the first-round of the NFL Draft, knocked it out of the park.
Coming into the draft, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was seen as "the" guy for the franchise to get, and at pick No. 11, after trading up with the Miami Dolphins, Dallas got its guy.
Then, after trading back from No. 20 to No. 23 in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys selected edge Malachi Lawrence to bolster Christian Parker's pass rush unit.
The reception to both picks, at least to me, someone who isn't a draft savant, tells me all I need to know -- the Cowboys nailed their first two picks.
And it appears the oddsmakers think so too.
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We have just finished the draft, and odds for the Defensive Rookie of the Year have been released, and both Downs and Lawrence are among the favorites.
Downs per The Athletic's Jon Machota, has odds of +800 (5th favorite), and Lawrence has odds of +1600 (8th favorite).
Now, we know that this means absolutely nothing, but it does give a sense of how the rest of the NFL world views the pair.
We know Downs was a home run of a selection, and yes, even top picks aren't guaranteed to be stars, but the consensus is that Downs is the cleanest player in the draft, meaning the chances of him being a bust are minimal.
READ MORE: Cowboys Complete NFL Draft Moves Topped By 'Prize' Caleb Downs
Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence are the top rookie candidates for the Dallas Cowboys, both being early draft picks.
Caleb Downs plays safety, while Malachi Lawrence plays edge rusher for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys selected Caleb Downs with the 11th pick and Malachi Lawrence with the 23rd pick in the NFL Draft.


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As for Lawrence, he's ready to come to The Star, and now just be in the background, he wants to be a key cog in Christian Parker's machine.
"Somebody that's just going to be productive," Lawrence said. "Someone that's going to go out there, give it his all. I'm just ready to come in and be productive."
And if he is going to see his Defensive Rookie of the Year odds shrink, he's going to have to come to the party early and often in 2026.
The Cowboys have had a good draft overall, at least that is the general sense among draft experts. Now it is up to the coaching staff to get them acclimated to Parker's scheme so they can hit the ground running.
And come Week 17, if the Cowboys still have Downs and Lawrence among the favorites for the Defensive Rookie of the Year, I'd imagine this defense would have completed a serious turnaround.