With the Dallas Cowboys season coming to an, this is a good time to continue looking at the biggest needs for Dallas and who the key prospects are in the first round the Cowboys could take with either of their Day 1 picks. In this edition we look at the cornerback position.

Solid, calm press corner with good mirror abilities and closing burst. After a steady 2023 at Virginia Tech, he turned the corner in 2024 and then became LSU’s shutdown corner in 2025 with 45 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and two interceptions. The tape is backed by the metrics and was one of the nation’s top-graded corners in 2025, and he finished as a unanimous All-American and Thorpe finalist. That bounce-back and level up arc puts him at the top tier of this season’s cornerbacks.

Doesn’t have a big frame to work with, so he can be bodied by true possession receivers if his jam lands late. When routes turn into hand fights he grabs. Run support is willing but can be more forceful finishing through contact. Has shown in college he’s not completely immune to slumps if his confidence wavers.

Delane’s profile reads like a polished cornerback. He has patient feet, efficient transitions, and disruptive timing at the catch point, showing good instincts. Add the elite 2025 efficiency (no touchdowns allowed, 13 catches for 147 yards on 358 coverage snaps). Given the production jump and the All-America and All-SEC honors, he’s widely treated as a premier prospect and top of the board corner in this years class.

Press-savvy, ball-hawking corner with good feet and real closing burst. After a freshman year at Oregon State, McCoy transferred and popped at Tennessee in 2024 with four interceptions and seven pass breakups, routinely squeezing throwing windows and finishing through the catch point. Has sticky down-to-down efficiency, not just splash plays.

A huge medical red flag and missed all of 2025 while rehabbing a January ACL tear. Tape also shows grabby tendencies downfield on vertical routes drawing flags, and a run-support profile that’s more finesse than explosive. Can struggle to shed when bigger receivers line up against him.

McCoy’s résumé is of CB1 caliber on paper. He profiles as a patient, press-capable boundary corner whose mirror skills translate on the field. He didn’t log any 2025 snaps due to the ACL, so he’s more a top comeback storyline for the 2026 class than an award candidate. If the movement quality returns and medicals check out, he projects as a Day 1 starter who lets a defense call more man without worrying about the deep shots.

Patient press corner with real pop at the catch point and elite run-support for the position. Shows insane agility and good change of direction with very fluid hips. Has no problem in ball tracking showing exceptional ball placement instincts. What makes him more interesting is the play recognition skills, clearly a prospect that watches a lot of tape.

Extremely undersized which leaves issues of durability in the NFL. Due to his size, tackling comes into play. Tackling angles are good but relies too much on arm tackles, which against physical, NFL-sized possession receivers will not work. Very athletic, but too reliant on that functional athleticism.

Terrell’s three-year arc in college reads like a polished CB1 profile built on mirror skills, run support, and speed. He’s a proven defensive playmaker that has made huge plays that have swung games, and not by chance. Consistent and reliant with great athletic skills, just needs to add size to absorb those big plays for a full NFL season.

A coverage chameleon that plays any scheme at outside corner with patient feet, smooth agility and real burst. He uses good mirror skills and timing to squeeze windows and finish through the receiver’s hands. His party trick is his backpedal which is unbelievably quick, and even adds some special teams options as a returner.

This one is simple, he lacks playing time which affects his instincts. Tackling technique can be an issue which can also be attributed to experience, and run support needs a major overhaul.

This one will get debated all draft season. Is Hood a Day 1 prospect or Day 3? Ask a dozen people and you’ll get a dozen different answers. The best way to do this is with Hood the arrow is pointing up, he profiles as a reliable CB1/CB2 type who fits press, man or zone win with good patience and timing. Best case here is he goes late first round, worst case is he goes late third round. Combine will be huge to figure that out.

(Top-35 prospect “for now”)

Brandon Cisse, South Carolina

Cisse is a press-capable boundary corner who’s at his best when he can get hands on early, stay in-phase, and drive downhill. His lateral explosion and sticky man ability means he’s an efficient corner defensive coordinators can leave alone to get the job done. Has long arms and a huge catch radius if he gets caught out on deep throws, but that’s tough to do with his exceptional speed, watch his 40-time.

He’s more of a guy that wins with quickness than being a bully, so bigger X-receivers can lean on him if his initial jam fails. His zone instincts aren’t as natural as his man reps, and his run defense can be hit-or-miss. Statistically, he’s been more disruptive than productive. Across three college seasons he’s totaled only two interceptions and 10 pass breakups, so the next jump is converting more tight-window contests into picks.

If you’re writing Cisse’s profile in one sentence – he’s a man-leaning boundary corner with real trigger and starting-caliber upside. If he can clean up the zone processing and can stack ball production at the next level, he works out at the Round 1/2 caliber cheater grade. If he’s taken Day 1 then teams are looking at his ceiling as a guy who can take away top receiving options, but he definitely needs a season of refinement to get better technique down.