Five NFC teams that must ace the 2026 NFL Draft: Cowboys have two first-round picks to address leaky defense

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We're now less than two weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft, which means we're really getting down to business. The rumors are flying fast and furiously, and everyone in and around the league is trying to nail down the best, most reliable information about what's actually going to happen when players start coming off the board.

Of course, those in the league have more at stake than those of us on the outside, looking in. They have jobs to do that will affect the future of their organizations, as well as whether they'll even stay in those jobs over the longer term.

Some teams also have more at stake than others due to the crucial point at which they are in the team-building cycle, where they sit in the actual draft order or whether their management team or coaching staff might be on the clock when it comes to job security.

In the space below, we want to take a look at some of the teams with the most at stake in this draft, and why they really need to nail their selections. We'll handle five such NFC teams here, while my colleague Garrett Podell will dig into five AFC teams later this week.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona has the fourth-most draft capital of any team in this draft, according to the draft value chart developed by SportsLine's R.J. White. The Cardinals therefore have a chance to set the tone for the Mike LaFleur era by capitalizing on a significant opportunity to pick very high in each round. (They have picks No. 3, 34, 65, 104, 143, 183 and 217.)

The Cardinals actually have a bit more talent than it might seem on the surface based on the fact that they finished tied for the worst record in the NFL. Their defense was battered by injuries all year and has some nice players that could lead them to a bounceback under incumbent coordinator Nick Rallis. They still need help up front on both sides of the ball, though, which is where I'd expect them to focus with their early picks.

Still, they have a chance to lay the foundation for a quarterback of the future that they will likely be in position to select next year.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys desperately need to take advantage of their opportunity with two picks in the first round. They have a Super Bowl-caliber offense with Dak Prescott throwing to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, plus Javonte Williams capitalizing on the light boxes that passing attack affords him. But the defense was arguably the worst in the NFL last year and needs to be upgraded at every level.

Bringing in new defensive coordinator Christian Parker will help on that side of the ball, but Dallas still needs an infusion of talent up front, at linebacker and in the secondary. Luckily for the Cowboys, they have two picks in the top 20, where they could be in position to add quality talents at two of those three spots. They could also maneuver around the draft board to land a true blue-chipper to take the defense to another level.

Either way they choose to attack if, they have a short window to take advantage of what they have with this offense, and they need to nail their early picks, in particular, in order to do so.

[Here's how many players are actually locks to go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft

Jordan Dajani

Los Angeles Rams

Speaking of short windows that need to be taken advantage of, we have the Rams. Matthew Stafford is basically going year to year at this point, and the Rams don't know if and when they'll need to truly start over from scratch. That means they have precious few chances to win another Super Bowl.

They no longer have the two first-rounders they came into draft season with thanks to their trade for Trent McDuffie, but they also used that trade to shore up their biggest weakness; and they have a top 15 pick available to them to upgrade at some other spot. They don't have fourth- or fifth-round picks on Day 3, but they have four picks in the final two rounds to help fill things out.

Detroit Lions

The Lions are another team in a win-now window, and they have some holes that really need filling. After missing the playoffs despite being projected as a Super Bowl contender, they're also picking earlier within each round than anybody expected, so they have a chance to add players who make a greater impact than you might have thought they'd have coming into the 2025 season.

For the Lions to get back to the top of what might be the most competitive division in the NFL, they have to come away from this draft with impact players along both lines, and with only two top 100 picks they probably need to use both of those selections up front. Luckily for them, the tackle and edge rusher classes are considered pretty strong into the areas of each round where they'll be in position to select each one.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings, on the other hand, have four top 100 picks and need to make up for what looks like a massive whiff on J.J. McCarthy two years ago. They're heading into a crucial year of the Kevin O'Connell era, and having all that early draft capital is one way to make sure that they meet or exceed expectations.

This is an interesting draft for the Vikings for another reason, in that interim general manager Rob Brzezinski will run the show, but the Vikings won't actually be hiring their new GM until after the draft. If Brzezinski does a good enough job and works well with O'Connell and his staff, could he land the full-time role? That's something to watch out for as well.