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Top NFL insider: Dallas Cowboys team most likely to trade up in draft
TL;DR
The Dallas Cowboys, holding picks 12 and 20 in the upcoming NFL draft, are likely to trade up for a first-round selection. This would mark their first trade-up in the first round since 2012.
FRISCO, TEXAS - APRIL 24: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, COO Stephen Jones, Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones, Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay, Vice President of Football Operations Todd Williams, head coach Brian Schottenheimer visit in the team's war room during the opening pick of the NFL Draft at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on April 24, 2025. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images)
We know that the Dallas Cowboys hold picks 12 and 20 in the NFL draft, but lately there is a lot of chatter on the internet that America’s Team could be itching to make a first-round selection at some point in front of those. It would require some type of trade for the Cowboys to be able to do that and we are talking about a team who hasn’t traded up in the first round in a decade and a half.
Dallas last moved up in the first round of a draft back in 2012 and did so to select Morris Claiborne. They were absolutely in love with Claiborne and while he was a fine player for the team he hardly delivered the return on that particular investment.
Perhaps the Cowboys are ready to invest along those lines again.
One NFL insider believes the Cowboys are the team most likely to move up
During Friday’s edition of The Insiders on NFL Network, top insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport were discussing the idea of trading up in the draft.
The former asked the latter who he thought was the team most likely to do so. Rapoport was specific in noting that (because he was about to answer the Cowboys) he was not saying what he was about to say for attention and that he legitimately believed it.
“This is not clickbait. This is not so everybody will click on this and go wait, what. But the Cowboys are my team most likely to trade up. Again. This is not for clickbait. This is real.”
“I expect them to be at least in the mix potentially for coming up for a pass rusher or other top defensive player.”
“So maybe that’s, I don’t know, let’s say it’s someone like Rueben Bain. Let’s say it’s Mesidor. Let’s somehow, some way, Sonny Styles goes to 7, 8, maybe 9.”
“The Cowboys right now are sitting at 12. So you look at the landscape there. You have several teams who would potentially be open to moving back. Might the Cowboys jump up a little bit to get a key defensive piece in an offseason when it has all about fixing that defense.”
As noted there has been some chatter lately that the Cowboys could move up, but the idea seems dependent on a certain prospect falling to a range that they are comfortable moving towards. Rapoport specifically mentioned Rueben Bain, Akheem Mesidor, and Sonny Styles in this scenario.
Would you be okay with the Cowboys making a deal to move up for one of these players? Obviously it is hard to answer without knowing what they would hypothetically be giving up, but there is the smoke is really starting to burn here.
Q&A
What picks do the Dallas Cowboys currently hold in the NFL draft?
The Dallas Cowboys currently hold picks 12 and 20 in the NFL draft.
When was the last time the Dallas Cowboys traded up in the first round of the NFL draft?
The last time the Dallas Cowboys traded up in the first round was in 2012.
Why are the Dallas Cowboys considering trading up in the NFL draft?
The Cowboys are considering trading up to secure a first-round selection, potentially to target a player they are particularly interested in.
Who did the Dallas Cowboys select when they last traded up in the first round?
The Dallas Cowboys selected Morris Claiborne when they last traded up in the first round in 2012.
