LUBBOCK, Texas – With just 28 days to go before the NFL Draft, teams are entering the closing stages of the player evaluation process for the 2026 class that has lasted for well over a year.
The Cowboys’ work on the pro day circuit to gather more information on draft prospects continued Thursday at Texas Tech University, the third Texas school in as many days that head coach Brian Schottenheimer has attended following Texas on Tuesday and Texas A&M on Wednesday.
Schottenheimer led a Cowboys contingent in Lubbock that also included defensive coordinator Christian Parker, VP of player personnel Will McClay, director of college scouting Mitch LaPoint and pass rush specialist consultant BT Jordan.
Defense is a clear need for Dallas going into the draft, and the Red Raiders were far from short of defensive talent in 2025, finishing as the third-best total defensive unit in college football last season.
The defensive headliners were OLB David Bailey, who has been projected widely as a top-five pick, LB Jacob Rodriguez, OLB Romello Height and DT Lee Hunter among others. Rodriguez said following pro day that he had dinner with the Cowboys on Wednesday night, which Hunter was also in attendance at, adding he “loved all the conversations and [is] looking forward to more.”
Plenty of conversations happen at pro days between players and coaches/scouts, as well as coaches and other coaches. That was the case for Schottenheimer, who caught up with three fellow NFL head coaches in the Bengals’ Zac Taylor, Jets’ Aaron Glenn, and Saints’ Kellen Moore. Former Cowboys defensive line coach and current Titans defensive run game coordinator/DL coach Aaron Whitecotton was also in attendance. Chiefs QB and Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes made an appearance as well.
Bailey, Height, Hunter and Rodriguez all did not participate in athletic testing outside of bench press and focused more on their positional workouts in front of NFL scouts. When Bailey, Height and Hunter were doing their respective drills, Schottenheimer was front and center watching with a keen eye. Rodriguez did not participate in position drills.