{"id":242839,"date":"2026-04-10T00:43:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/242839\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T00:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:43:09","slug":"dallas-cowboys-jerry-jones-have-two-2026-nfl-draft-prospects-theyd-trade-up-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/242839\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones have two 2026 NFL Draft prospects they\u2019d trade up for"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL<\/a> is charging full speed toward the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams are not only finalizing their draft boards but also kicking off offseason workouts.<\/p>\n

The Dallas Cowboys enter this stretch with significant draft capital, thanks to last season\u2019s Micah Parsons trade.<\/p>\n

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However, trading Parsons to the Green Bay Packers left a massive void in their defense. Now, the Cowboys have the resources to address that weakness in a big way.<\/p>\n

MORE: Rich Eisen, ESPN make major SportsCenter announcement<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised if they swing for the fences with one of two prospects they\u2019re targeting. In fact, given Jerry Jones and company\u2019s history, you should probably expect it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Cowboys haven\u2019t traded up in the first round since 2012, when they moved up to select cornerback Morris Claiborne. Fourteen years later, they may be ready to make a similar move.<\/p>\n

According to ESPN<\/a>, Dallas has identified two prime candidates: Caleb Downs and Rueben Bain Jr.<\/p>\n

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Both prospects bring elite talent and tremendous upside. Many evaluators consider them the top players at their respective positions.<\/p>\n

MORE: Sean Payton gets in his feelings over NFL Network show title, free agency questions<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, each comes with concerns. Reports have flagged a potential ACL issue for Downs, while Bain faces questions about his measurables\u2014particularly his arm length.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So why target them? The answer is simple: both players can change games at their peak. Downs stands out as the best defensive back in this class, while Bain has the tools to be a true disruptive force on the edge.<\/p>\n

They also bring something the Cowboys have lacked for years: championship pedigree. Both players competed at the highest level of college football.<\/p>\n

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MORE: Former Seahawks S Rickey Thenarse hospitalized after shooting incident<\/a><\/p>\n

Bain\u2019s Miami Hurricanes reached the national championship last season, while Downs and the Ohio State Buckeyes captured the title against Notre Dame.<\/p>\n

\"6.<\/p>\n

6. Rueben Bain Jr. \u2014 EDGE, University of Miami<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty to like about both prospects. Yes, there are risks\u2014but for a Cowboys defense in need of impact playmakers, the potential reward may outweigh them.<\/p>\n

The question now is simple: are Downs and Bain the right players for Dallas to take that kind of swing?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL is charging full speed toward the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams are not only finalizing their draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242840,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[21872,34582,102,113,104,103,7000,16417,2638,72595,9642,7702,92891,80,781,7698],"class_list":{"0":"post-242839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-caleb-downs","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-dallas-cowboys","12":"tag-dallas-headlines","13":"tag-dallas-news","14":"tag-espn","15":"tag-green-bay-packers","16":"tag-jerry-jones","17":"tag-mandatory-credit","18":"tag-miami-hurricanes","19":"tag-micah-parsons","20":"tag-morris-claiborne","21":"tag-nfl","22":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","23":"tag-the-cowboys"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}