The Dallas Cowboys, who have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, have the potential to shape the entire opening night.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during the new league meetings last week that he would not shy away from making a draft date change.
“I’ve been looking at that mirror a lot, about how to go up and down and shop and do things like that,” Jones said via the team’s official website. “Absolutely. We’ll have fun in an improvement or in a draft reading about what gives us a better chance of getting another player, and still have our picks and red meat of top players.
With the No. 12 and 20 picks, and still boasting some needs, the Cowboys could go in any direction. Jones could pass a round of applause and get two starters. He could package his pick and move up to reach the top of the pack, widening the gap in what is seen as a shallow first round. Or, without a second, he could trade down to collect more picks — this year or next — to continue plugging multiple holes.
“You should — when you have the kind of assets or ammunition that we have in this draft, you should look at every machine,” he said. “It’s one thing to sit here now, it’s another thing to sit and watch it three hours into the draft and see what you got there. So all of that is a possibility. It’s an obvious statement, but nothing — no skill, no knowledge — can beat having a lot of draft capital, having a lot of picks. It’s going to work most of the time.”
How the Cowboys grade in the first round could have a big impact on how they use their pick. In 2017, in another draft that was thought to fall talent-wise in the first round, the Cowboys selected Taco Charlton at No. Charlton lasted just two seasons in Dallas and was out of the league after 60 games. Jones will want to avoid another Taco situation.
If the Cowboys don’t see a ton of picks they like at No. 20, trading up from that spot could become a litmus test in the April 23 draft.