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2026 NFL Draft: Insider tips Cowboys to trade up for one of three defensive stars
Ian Rapoport has named the Dallas Cowboys as the team most likely to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft, and named the three players most likely to be in their crosshairs if they do.
Speaking on The Insiders - available to Game Pass subscribers on DAZN - NFL Network's Rapoport cut straight to it with co-host Tom Pelissero.
"This is not clickbait," he began. "The Cowboys are my team most likely to trade up. This is real."
He went on to name the targets Dallas might be chasing. "I expect them to be at least in the mix, potentially for coming up for a pass rusher or other top defensive player."
"Let's say it's something like Rueben Bain, or let's say it's [Akheem] Mesidor. Let's say, somehow, some way, Sonny Styles goes to seven, eight, maybe nine. The Cowboys right now are sitting at 12."
Rapoport added that the landscape is there to make a move. With many teams likely keen to load up on extra selections, and given the capital Dallas possesses, there will be opportunities to move around the board.
Cowboys defensive woes by the numbers
He wrapped up the segment by describing how the Cowboys' offseason is "all about fixing that defense."
It's not exactly a revelation. Last season, Dallas' defense ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every major category.
They surrendered 6,409 total yards of offense, ranking 30th, allowed more points than any other team with 30.1 points per game, and were undisciplined, too, conceding the second most penalties with 134.
GM and owner Jerry Jones is well aware of the problem, sharing how "there's no place to go but up on the defensive side of the ball," before adding, "Had we played a lick of defense last year, we would've had ourselves, I think, a real playoff run."
DAZN's Jason Abbey on Dallas' draft plan
If Rapoport's intel is right, and if Jones' revelation that Dallas will be 'aggressive' is to be believed, they won't be waiting for the board to fall to them at No. 12.
In my latest DAZN mock, Styles and Bain will be gone by that point. Mesidor will be available, but Bain is a tier above his Miami teammate and could be the Cowboys' target ahead of Tennessee corner Jermaine McCoy, whom I had them taking with their original pick.
If Bain is their target, and he falls past the Commanders at No. 7 and the Saints at No. 8, Dallas must trade up if they're going to avoid the risk of losing him to the Chiefs, Bengals and Dolphins, all of whom need edge help.
To secure Styles' signature, the Cowboys may have to jump up to No. 5, and the compensation would be steep.
I can't wait to see how this situation plays out. If you feel the same, tune in to the 2026 NFL Draft on 23 April, live on DAZN, to watch the drama unfold.
