Charlie Campbell
Solid Starter
Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF – Round 1 
After having a struggling defense for a few years, the Cowboys have been aggressive in remaking their defensive line. They traded away dynamic speed rusher Micah Parsons while getting more physical and bigger on the defensive line in their trades for Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, and Rashan Gary. To complete their transformation, they added another physical and violent defender when they took Lawrence with a pick they acquired from trading Parsons.
For the NFL, the 6-foot-4, 253-pound Lawrence is a talented edge rusher with speed, strength, and athleticism off the edge. Lawrence is quick off the ball with the ability to long-arm and push through blocks with functional power. He uses his speed and impressive ability to bend to turn the corner with a burst to close on the quarterback. Lawrence arrives with violence as he will put quarterbacks and ball carriers into the turf with violence. He has good instincts to go for the strip, and has a relentless style of play. Lawrence could use some development with more pass-rushing moves for taking on pro tackles. With his skill set, Lawrence could be a good pass rusher as a pro.
Lawrence’s length and strength show up as a run defender as well. He flashes the ability to hold his gap and stop tackles from pushing him downfield. With his long arms and functional power, Lawrence can shed blocks and pursue out of his gap. However, his run defense can be inconsistent, so developing more reliability as a run defender is necessary for him to become a three-down starter in the NFL.
The Cowboys will rotate Lawrence with some other veteran ends, but he has the potential to turn into a solid starter for Dallas. He could learn a lot from Williams and Gary, and those veterans should draw attention to give Lawrence single-block looks. I think Lawrence will turn into a solid starter for Dallas during his rookie contract.
2025: Donovan Ezeiruaka, DE
2024: Cooper Beebe, C
2023: DeMarvion Overshown, LB
2022: Jalen Tolbert, WR
2021: Micah Parsons, LB
2020: Trevon Diggs, CB
2019: Connor McGovern, G
2018: Leighton Vander Esch, LB
2017: Jourdan Lewis, CB
2016: Ezekiel Elliott, RB
2015: Chazz Green, OT
2014: Zack Martin, G
2013: Travis Frederick, C
Most Likely To Bust
Jaishawn Barham, DE, Michigan – Round 5 
The Cowboys doubled up at the edge rusher position with the selection of Barham in the third round. He might be a nice designated pass rusher and rotational piece to help keep ends fresh. I don’t see Barham becoming a starter over Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence, or Donovan Ezeiruaku. Third-round picks are graded as players who are backups to start their career but develop into being starters. Of their three early-round picks, I think Barham is the most likely to disappoint and fall short of his grade projection.
2025: None
2024: Marshawn Kneeland, DE
2023: Luke Schoonmaker, TE
2022: Sam Williams, DE
2021: Nashon Wright, CB
2020: Tyler Biadasz, C
2019: Michael Jackson, CB
2018: Connor Williams, OT
2017: Chidobe Awuzie, CB
2016: Dak Prescott, QB
2015: Randy Gregory, DE
2014: Anthony Hitchens, LB
2013: Gavin Escobar, TE
Potential Boom Pick
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State – Round 1 
Over the past few seasons, Downs has been one of the best pure football players in college football, and the Cowboys were damn lucky to land him in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs was a star recruit who landed at Alabama, and despite a lot more experienced talent on the roster, Downs became a freshman starter for the Crimson Tide. Downs was a freshman sensation, leading the team in tackles and all over the field for the Crimson Tide. He totaled 107 tackles with 3.5 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and three passes defended. After the season, head coach Nick Saban retired, and Downs transferred from Alabama to Ohio State. In 2024, Downs had 81 tackles with six passes broken up, one forced fumble, and two interceptions while helping the Buckeyes win a National Championship. In each season, Downs had a punt returned for a touchdown with long returns of 85 and 79 yards.
In 2025, Downs played well for Ohio State. Downs totaled 68 tackles with one pass batted, one sack, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Even though the Buckeyes lost and were eliminated, Downs played really well against Miami in the college football playoff.
In the passing-driven NFL, there are always teams that are looking for problem solvers in the secondary, and that is what Downs brings to his defense. With off-the-charts instincts, Downs is all over the field and a problem for offenses as he has an innate ability to sniff out plays and be around the ball to keep plays from producing the intended yardage for an offense. Downs is an extremely smart defender who doesn’t take false steps in coverage, knows when to fire downhill, and has elite read-and-react skills. With his natural ability to snuff out and disrupt, Downs is an elite defender for the back end of his defense.
In pass coverage, Downs has excellent range and is natural as a deep free safety. He can lock down the deep part of the field and cover a ton of ground. With phenomenal speed, Downs can get to the sideline from the middle of the field, and he explodes to eat up ground in a blur. Downs is extremely fast, and his play speed is tremendous. Downs will be valuable to shut down the deep part of the field from speed receivers and will be valuable to help his cornerbacks over the top. On top of being dynamic in zone, Downs can line up and play man coverage on tight ends and slot receivers. He shows fluid movement to flip his hips and run while doing a very good job of running the route to prevent separation. Downs is dynamic in coverage and has rare cover ability for a safety.
As a run defender, Downs is an excellent tackler and is superb at making tackles in the open field. He diagnoses, runs quickly, and flies downfield to cut the legs out from underneath backs. Downs is dynamic in defending perimeter runs and screens. The only real knock on Downs is that he is not big, and his size is perhaps a little below average for tackling at the pro level. Downs could add strength in a pro strength and conditioning program. I think Downs will do that, and his size won’t be a significant problem at the pro level.
Downs was one of the best players in the 2026 NFL Draft. Early in his career, I think Downs will become a Pro Bowl safety who makes lots of big and clutch plays in both phases. Downs could be a true boom pick for Dallas.
2025: Tyler Booker, G
2024: Tyler Guyton, OT
2023: None
2022: Tyler Smith, CB
2021: Kelvin Joseph, CB
2020: CeeDee Lamb, WR
2019: Trysten Hill, DT
2018: Dorance Armstrong, DE
2017: Taco Charlton, DE
2016: Jaylon Smith, LB
2015: Byron Jones, S
2014: DeMarcus Lawrence, DE
2013: Terrance Williams, WR
Future Depth Player
L.T. Overton, DT, Alabama – Round 4 
Overton has been a solid and disruptive end/tackle with Alabama the past two seasons. On the positive side, Dallas needs some young depth, and they have veterans on the line who can mentor him. Veteran starter Rashan Gary could be a particularly good player for Overton to emulate, given some similarities in their skill set. On the negative side, the Cowboys have a veteran line without starting spots open to compete for. Overton is also going to have a battle for a roster spot with some other young players and veterans. Overton is going to need to make the team and impress as a rotational backup to carve out a pro career with Dallas. However, with his flexibility to line up at end or tackle, I think Overton is going to be a nice rotational backup for the Cowboys.
2025: Jaydon Blue, RB
2024: Caelen Carson, CB
2023: Deuce Vaughn, RB
2022: Jake Ferguson, TE
2021: Jabril Cox, LB
2020: Bradley Anae, DE
2019: Tony Pollard, RB
2018: Michael Gallup, WR
2017: Ryan Switzer, WR
2016: Charles Tapper, DE
2015: Damien Wilson, LB
2014: Ben Gardner, DE
2013: Joseph Randle, RB
Walt