{"id":495046,"date":"2026-02-21T17:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T17:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/495046\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T17:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T17:00:09","slug":"cowboys-new-2026-nfl-mock-draft-lands-immediate-starter-at-cb-star-mlb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/495046\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys’ New 2026 NFL Mock Draft Lands Immediate Starter at CB, Star MLB"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> are focusing on rebuilding the team’s defense during the NFL <\/a>offseason, and with free agency and two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft <\/a>around the corner, there will be plenty of opportunity for the team to bring in reinforcements. <\/p>\n

New defensive coordinator Christian Parker<\/a> has a clear idea of the way he wants the Cowboys’ defense to go, so it will be interesting to see what players he eyes for the future. <\/p>\n

Ahead of the Scouting Combine, Cowboys insider Jon Machota participated in a mock draft by The Athletic beat writers<\/a> to share his projections on the team’s best path for the first round. <\/p>\n

MORE: Cowboys Insider Identifies 4 Prime Linebacker Targets in NFL Free Agency<\/a><\/p>\n

Machota makes sure to focus on the defensive side of the ball by filling two of the team’s biggest areas of need. <\/p>\n

\"Georgia<\/p>\n

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen looks on after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2025 SEC Championship | Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

After adding talent to Parker’s secondary, which could see some serious turnover throughout the offseason, Dallas adds to its linebacking corps which is in desperate need of depth. <\/p>\n

The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.<\/p>\n

A closer look at the latest first-round projections for the Cowboys<\/a> can be seen below. <\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Dallas Cowboys Insider Names Player To Watch in Revamped Defense<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick No. 12: Jermod McCoy, cornerback, Tennessee\"Tennessee<\/p>\n

Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy celebrates a play against Kentucky at Neyland Stadium. | Caitie McMekin\/News Sentinel \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

McCoy began his college career at Oregon State, starting 12 games as a freshman before transferring to Tennessee. With the Vols, McCoy recorded 44 tackles, four interceptions, and nine passes defensed.<\/p>\n

“The Cowboys went with the best player available at a position of need,” Machota wrote. “There are some concerns about McCoy missing all of last season with a torn ACL. But if everything checks out medically, McCoy should start immediately, likely alongside DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel. On paper, that would be an upgraded secondary for first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker.”<\/p>\n

While Cowboys fans may be uneasy about selecting another cornerback who is coming off a season-ending injury, McCoy possesses the talent to be a first-round pick, and there is a major drop-off in talent at the position once he is off the board.<\/p>\n

MORE: Cowboys Urged to Trade for Super Bowl Champion Defensive Back<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick No. 20 (via Packers): CJ Allen, linebacker, Georgia\"Georgia<\/p>\n

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen on the field against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Last season, Allen was on a tear. The junior linebacker has recorded 80 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. <\/p>\n

“There was a lot to consider at this pick, including a possible trade back with the Philadelphia Eagles at 23 that fell through after the Panthers\u2019 pick. Dallas\u2019 options were then one of the best remaining pass rushers (Keldric Faulk, Cashius Howell, T.J. Parker or Zion Young), a top safety (Dillon Thieneman or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren) or a top off-ball linebacker,” Machota notes. <\/p>\n

“The Cowboys\u2019 linebacker play was probably the worst in the league last year. Allen would instantly upgrade the group as their starting middle linebacker, potentially forming a great duo if DeMarvion Overshown can stay healthy.”<\/p>\n

With linebacker as a major weakness, adding a player of Allen’s caliber late in the first round could be a home run for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter <\/a>for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a> \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys are focusing on rebuilding the team’s defense during the NFL offseason,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-495046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}