Just this week, Todd McShay (formerly of ESPN, now with The Ringer) proposed a ranking of the top 100 players in the draft, which covers the players he has a first-, second- or third-round grade on. Unique to McShay’s ranking is that he conveniently separates the prospects into different tiers, which can be helpful when trying to predict where players will come off the board during the first three rounds of the draft.
A tiered approach can be particularly helpful as we try to figure out what the Cowboys draft strategy could, or should, look like. Let’s start with the first round, which McShay has broken into three tiers. Tier 1, which are Day 1 starters and project as perennial Pro Bowl players, is empty in this draft.
That brings us to Tier 2 prospects, players McShay calls plug-and-play starters with high-level potential and worthy of a Top 15 pick.
TIER 2
Rank
Player
POS
College
Grade
1
Jeremiyah Love
RB
ND
94
2
Sonny Styles
LB
OSU
94
3
Arvell Reese
EDGE
OSU
94
4
Fernando Mendoza
QB
IND
93
5
Caleb Downs
DS
OSU
93
6
David Bailey
EDGE
TTU
93
7
Olaivavega Ioane
OG
PSU
93
8
Mansoor Delane
CB
LSU
93
9
Carnell Tate
WR
OSU
93
10
Francis Mauigoa
OT
MIA
92
11
Rueben Bain Jr.
EDGE
MIA
92
12
Makai Lemon
WR
USC
92
13
Spencer Fano
OT
UTAH
92
14
Jordyn Tyson
WR
ASU
92
What is noteworthy here for the Cowboys is that of the six defensive players on this list (the “Big 6”) five are ranked in the Top 8, and only one defender (Rueben Bain) is ranked between 9-14. The big board is not a mock draft, but it stands to reason that if teams have a similar ranking, there’s going to be an early run on defenders. If any one of the Big 6 falls to No. 12, the Cowboys need to make that player their pick.
Note on the color code: Mansoor Delane is marked in green because he’s on the list of Top 30 visitors for Dallas. Unfortunately, that list is not very long yet, because the value of such a tiered approach increases significantly when we can match it with the full list of the Top 30 visitors and understand which players the Cowboys are particularly interested in.
But back to our Tier 2 list: If the Big 6 are all gone, should the Cowboys default to the next best defenders in the draft? Here’s an overview of the players on McShay’s Tier 3 list, where you’ll find good NFL starters that are considered strong values in the bottom half of Round 1 in any given draft class:
TIER 3
Rank
Player
POS
College
Grade
15
Jermod McCoy
CB
TENN
91
16
Monroe Freeling
OT
UGA
91
17
Omar Cooper Jr.
WR
IND
91
18
Kenyon Sadiq
TE
ORE
91
19
Dillon Thieneman
DS
ORE
91
20
Akheem Mesidor
EDGE
MIA
90
21
Keldric Faulk
EDGE
AUB
90
22
T.J. Parker
EDGE
CLEM
90
23
Blake Miller
OT
CLEM
90
24
Ty Simpson
QB
ALA
90
From this tier, and sticking to the next-best-defender strategy, Jermod McCoy would be a good option for the Cowboys if the Big 6 are all gone.
Of course, not everybody agrees with McShay’s ranking. Take Jermod McCoy: PFF currently has him ranked 17th overall, Dane Brugler ranked him 16th in early February, ESPNs Field Yates ranks him 15th, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm has him ranked 12th overall, and CBS Sports ranks McCoy 9th.
So, is it Big 6 + McCoy at No. 12 for the Cowboys? Probably, but that’s pending Tennessee’s pro day on March 31st, which will help determine his ceiling – if he’s healthy. But the Cowboys have thrown a wrench into the works by inviting WR Omar Cooper for a Top 30 visit. Assuming the pre-draft visits carry some weight (which they have in the past), could the Cowboys pivot to a falling offensive player?
They did that with Ceedee Lamb in 2020, when they put aside their defensive needs (which sound very familiar in 2026 again) to catch the falling offensive player:
Pass rusher, cornerback, and safety were bigger needs for a team that already has a trio of offensive stars in Prescott, Cooper and two-time NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott, not to mention perennial Pro Bowlers on the offensive line.
There’s a trio of wide receivers ranked in McShay’s Top 14 along with two tackles. Could the Cowboys once again pivot from their defensive needs in favor of a falling offensive player?
Elsewhere in Tier 3, there’s an accumulation of pass rushers ranked in the early 20s, which makes Akheem Mesidor, Keldric Faulk, and T.J. Parker the likely targets for the 20th pick. But what if the Cowboys manage to get Rueben Bain with their 12th pick? They are unlikely to draft two edge rushers in the first round, so their options at #20 narrow significantly in that scenario.
Safety Dillon Thienemann is very likely getting picked by the Vikings at #18, and even if Jermod McCoy is ranked outside the top 14, it’s unlikely he’ll fall all the way to #20.
If the Cowboys stick to the next-best-defender strategy, they’ll have to make a pick from Tier 4, which McShay describes as good future NFL starters but with a second-round value.
TIER 4
Rank
Player
POS
College
Grade
25
Caleb Lomu
OT
UTAH
89
26
Gabe Jacas
EDGE
ILL
89
27
Zion Young
EDGE
MIZ
89
28
Cashius Howell
EDGE
TAMU
89
29
Denzel Boston
WR
WASH
89
30
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
DS
TOL
89
31
Kadyn Proctor
OT
ALA
89
32
Caleb Banks
IDL
UF
89
33
Kayden McDonald
IDL
OSU
89
34
KC Concepcion
WR
TAMU
89
35
Avieon Terrell
CB
CLEM
88
36
Peter Woods
IDL
CLEM
88
37
Colton Hood
CB
TENN
88
38
Max Iheanachor
OT
ASU
88
39
Antonio Williams
WR
CLEM
87
40
Chris Johnson
CB
SDSU
87
41
Anthony Hill Jr.
LB
TEX
87
42
Chase Bisontis
OG
TAMU
87
43
CJ Allen
LB
UGA
86
44
Malachi Lawrence
EDGE
UCF
86
45
Lee Hunter
IDL
TTU
86
46
Brandon Cisse
CB
SCAR
86
47
D’Angelo Ponds
CB
IND
85
48
Jacob Rodriguez
LB
TTU
85
49
Chris Brazzell II
WR
TENN
85
I think this is a highly interesting tier because it offers a wealth of options for the Cowboys.
It has three linebackers (Anthony Hill, CJ Allen, and Jacob Rodriguez) who would all be an immediate upgrade for the Cowboys roster, and Hill is already on the Top 30 list.
If the Cowboys do manage – against all expectations – to swing a trade for a linebacker before the draft, then this tier also offers a nice selection of corners with Avieon Terrell, Colton Hood, Chris Johnson, and Brandon Cisse, all of whom have received first-round consideration in the mock draft trackers we regularly publish on Blogging The Boys.
Not happy with those choices? This tier also offers the third-ranked safety (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren #30) and the top three defensive tackles (Caleb Banks #32, Kayden McDonald #33, Peter Woods #36).
In fact, this tier is dominated by defensive players who account for 18 of the 25 players in this tier. And given this cornucopia of defensive options, do the Cowboy stick to their spot at #20 or do they move down, knowing they’ll still get a good defender 10, 15 or 20 spots later?
Again, this is not without historical precedent. In 2013, the Cowboys went into the draft with the 18th overall pick, and were looking for offensive line help. They looked hard at offensive guards Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack, but both were taken in the top 10. And when safety Kenny Vaccaro went 15th to New Orleans, the Cowboys decided to trade down, convinced they’d still be able to get O-line help. Here’s Jerry Jones in his post-draft press conference:
“Yesterday we traded down and got Travis Frederick. We received some critique as ‘Did we get enough? Did we pass and not get players that were there by going down to get Frederick?’”
“By moving down from 18 to 31, we got Travis Frederick. We discussed that last night. I need to say this, it’s very important: We really thought Frederick would be there as low as 31. We needed, and were going to get us, a foundation for our offensive line. Certainly, there were a couple [of offensive linemen] at the top that didn’t magically fall down there, in the interior. And that would have been a dream from the fall down there, and you could have operated like that.”
An argument could be made that they were hoping to get another offensive lineman, Justin Pugh, with their 31st pick. Pugh was rated one spot above Frederick on the Cowboys’ draft board, but Pugh was picked 19th by the Giants, so the Cowboys took Frederick, the last remaining offensive lineman in the first round.
With the many options available in Tier 4, a trade down could make sense once again for the Cowboys – if they find a team willing to trade up. In 2013, the trade-down netted them the 73rd pick (WR Terrance Williams). A similar trade-down to New England’s 31st spot – if New England is interested – could net the Cowboys pick 95.
Combined with their own 92nd pick from the Osa Odighizuwa trade, the Cowboys could sit at the bottom of the third with two picks and catch whichever Tier 4, 5, or 6 players fall their way. Tier 5 players, per McShay, are future solid to good NFL starters that might see action in situational roles early in their career, while Tier 6 players project as future solid starters that need time to develop or have limited upside.
TIER 5
TIER 6
TIER 6
Rank
Player
POS
Grade
Rank
Player
POS
Grade
Rank
Player
POS
Grade
50
Germie Bernard
WR
84
64
A.J. Haulcy
DS
79
82
Keith Abney II
CB
76
51
R Mason Thomas
EDGE
84
65
Cole Payton
QB
79
83
Keyron Crawford
EDGE
76
52
Eli Stowers
TE
84
66
Max Klare
TE
79
84
Tacario Davis
CB
75
53
Emmanuel Pregnon
OG
83
67
Mike Washington Jr.
RB
79
85
Austin Barber
OT
75
54
Zachariah Branch
WR
83
68
Elijah Sarratt
WR
79
86
Jalen Farmer
OG
75
55
Jadarian Price
RB
83
69
Dani Dennis-Sutton
EDGE
78
87
Jalon Kilgore
DS
75
56
Deion Burks
WR
82
70
Gracen Halton
IDL
78
88
Sam Hecht
OC
75
57
Jake Golday
LB
82
71
Christen Miller
IDL
78
89
Marlin Klein
TE
75
58
Keionte Scott
CB
82
72
Gennings Dunker
OT
78
90
Malik Muhammad
CB
74
59
Treydan Stukes
DS
82
73
Derrick Moore
EDGE
78
91
Ja’Kobi Lane
WR
74
60
Malachi Fields
WR
81
74
Bryce Lance
WR
77
92
Devin Moore
CB
73
61
Josiah Trotter
LB
81
75
Ted Hurst
WR
77
93
Romello Height
EDGE
73
62
Kyle Louis
LB
80
76
Chris Bell
WR
77
94
De’Zhaun Stribling
WR
73
63
Bud Clark
DS
80
77
Domonique Orange
IDL
77
95
Logan Jones
OC
73
78
Kaleb Proctor
IDL
77
96
Chandler Rivers
CB
73
79
Garrett Nussmeier
QB
76
97
Chris McClellan
IDL
72
80
Davison Igbinosun
CB
76
98
Sam Roush
TE
72
81
Keylan Rutledge
OG
76
99
Connor Lew
OC
72
100
Carson Beck
QB
71
Even without a trade down, the Cowboys should just sit tight in the third round and grab the highest ranked player that falls to them, they’ll just do it once instead of twice.
If you don’t like McShay’s ranking, you can do the same exercise with any other draft board. None of the others are as neatly divided into tiers though, but they’ll give you a good idea of who’ll be available where as well.
As you start thinking about a big board, or as you look at other people’s boards, see if you can identify any tiers. They’ll be a good starting point as you whittle down the names to arrive at a more manageable shortlist. And once we know the names of all or most Top 30 visitors, this becomes quite a valuable tool to navigate the draft.