Dallas Cowboys Could Pull ‘Round 1 Shocker’ in 2026 NFL Draft

Boasting the 12th and 20th overall picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys will emerge from Thursday as an improved team. After allowing the NFL’s most points in 2025, many expect the Cowboys to focus their attention on defense with one or possibly even both of those selections.

Of course, a trade up for a top prospect could change those plans. Yet, with how well the Cowboys have drafted, perhaps they’d prefer to stick and make two selections in the first round. The other interesting thing is, the Cowboys often target a player who some analysts would suggest is a reach, a surprise, or even a shocking selection.

Recently, when Essentially Sports’ NFL insider Tony Pauline was asked which teams and/or players could lead to a “shocking” selection in the first round of the draft, he didn’t hesitate to bring up the Cowboys.

“Which teams are talked about as pulling shockers right now, just a few days out from the start of the draft? Most I’ve spoken with say keep an eye on picks 20, 21, and 22, presently owned by the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Chargers.

I’m told cornerback Chris Johnson and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez are in play for the Cowboys with the 20th pick, their second selection in the initial round. Ideally, the team would like to trade down from that slot and then select either of the two. Last week, I mentioned that it’s looking more and more as though Johnson will be a first-round pick, and with uncertainty surrounding the knee of Jermod McCoy and Avieon Terrell struggling with injury during the pre-draft process, now it seems like a sure thing.”

Tony Pauline on Dallas Cowboys

As noted, the Cowboys have a bit of a recent history of making surprise first-round selections. One might argue they’ve done so in each of the past four drafts, selecting Tyler Booker, Tyler Guyton, Mazi Smith, and .