7-Round Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft with Trades

1.12: Dallas Cowboys select Caleb Downs, Safety, Ohio State.

That’s right: as things stand right now, my best guess is former Ohio State star, Caleb Downs, makes it to the Cowboys with the 12th pick, and they send his card in as fast as humanly possible.

We’ve seen this happen with safeties before (Kyle Hamilton, most notably) and Downs, for all his on-field talent, isn’t the biggest or baddest athlete, and there are at least some questions around the medicals on his knee.

I think you could see two wide receivers and a guy like Auburn’s Keldric Faulk go before 12, thus pushing Downs down the board just enough.

There’s still a good bit of time, of course, but I think we crossed Downs’s name off the list of Dallas possibilities far too early.

Trade: Dallas Receives: 1.29, 3.72, 2027 5th Round Pick // Kansas City Receives: 1.20.

1.29 (via KC): Dallas Cowboys select Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF.

At 20, the Cowboys got on the clock with a plethora of options available that I think they’d love after the Downs pick.

Miami stars Akheem Mesidor and Keionte Scott, and Clemson’s Aveion Terrell and TJ Parker, just to name a few, remain on the board for Dallas in my current scenario. Some would say that increases their odds of sticking-and-picking their favorite of the crop; I disagree.

The Cowboys have long shown a liking to trading back in the 20s, and they’ve even managed to pull it off recently, so why not do it again?

Here, they slide down with the Chiefs and pick up the 72nd pick, and a future fifth in return.

At 29, they select the best pass-rusher on the board, and a guy who could ultimately be a contender at 20, Central Florida’s Malachi Lawrence.

I believe Dallas really does like him, and I’m expecting he’ll become a 30-visit guy as the list continues to come out over these next few weeks. Downs and Lawrence, plus an extra third, leave the Cowboys feeling really good heading into Day 2.

Third Round

3.72 (via KC): Dallas Cowboys select Malik Muhammad, Cornerback, Texas.

If you’ve been digging deep into the Cowboys draft this year, you’ve probably seen this fit before (plus, Dallas has visited with him twice), and it’s for good reason.

Malik Muhammad is a Dallas native and 21-year-old former Longhorn who will be one of the top third/fourth round cornerback options if the Cowboys don’t take one earlier.

After going with Downs and Lawrence, they find Muhammad with the selection picked up in that earlier trade with the Chiefs, and I don’t think you can waste much time turning his name in. He’s young, fast, and physical, and while undersized, Dallas doesn’t seem to be concerned about that in their cornerbacks under Christian Parker.

3.92 (via SF): Dallas Cowboys select Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Linebacker, TCU.

With their final third-round selection, also picked up in a trade (a real-life one, of course), the Cowboys address the last of their big needs by finally bringing a linebacker into the fold.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr is another local product, and he’s also pretty clearly one of the best mid-round finds at the position in this year’s class.

A great athlete who plays with genuine physicality, has good instincts, and top-notch production? That sounds about right for the Cowboys’ defense, and especially when you consider this pick came from dealing Osa Odighizuwa.

They need to add an impact defensive player here, and I think this kid provides that. I do believe Dallas likes him, and we could hear more about that as the draft nears.

Fourth Round

4.112: Dallas Cowboys select Michael Trigg, Tight End, Baylor.

I think the 112th pick is a great spot for the first offensive pick in this year’s Cowboys draft class, and I’m starting to be convinced the position will be at tight end.

Dallas seems to have a genuine interest in this tight ends class, and after that somewhat worrisome season by Jake Ferguson, the continued disappointment of Luke Schoonmaker, and the failure of any other depth options to stand out much, how can you blame them?

Enter Michael Trigg, one of the more polarizing but fun prospects in this class.

He could very well turn out to be a big-time weapon in an NFL offense, though there are some real effort and work ethic concerns that could drop him here.

Fifth Round

5.152: Dallas Cowboys select Nick Barrett, Defensive Tackle, South Carolina.

Now we’re getting into the nitty-gritty of this mock draft, but if you’re a true diehard, that’s where the fun really begins.

Starting with the first of Dallas’s three fifth-round picks, I see them targeting former Gamecock defensive tackle Nick Barrett. He’s a combine visit guy for the Cowboys, and he’s got the kind of power that can play right away as a run stuffer in the NFL.

You can never have enough IDL depth.

5.177: Dallas Cowboys select Jam Miller, Running Back, Alabama.

I feel fairly confident that the Cowboys will draft a running back at some point in this class, and that it will be with one of these fifth-rounders; the only question is who catches their eye.

For me, I see Alabama’s Jam Miller as the potential answer to that question.

Aside from his really fun name, Miller surprised many with a low 4.4’s 40-yard dash at the combine, carries an impressive build, doesn’t have too much tread on his tires, and is a Tyler, Texas native. I think the Cowboys may see a lot to like with this guy.

5.180: Dallas Cowboys select Alex Harkey, Tackle, Oregon.

If you haven’t heard of Oregon’s Alex Harkey, I can’t blame you; this is a true deep-cut.

On the other hand, if you do know this now-former Oregon Duck, it’s probably because you recall his days playing at Texas State, or from his younger days growing up in Buda, Texas.

Either way, the rundown on him is this: he blossomed in 2024 at Texas State, earning All-Sun Belt honors, but didn’t quite live up to the hype as a big transfer for Oregon in 2025. Still, the talent is there, as is the size and ability to move in space.

Dallas could use offensive line depth, and this guy matches up well as a project who could be molded into something legit.

Seventh Round

7.218: Dallas Cowboys select Nyjalik Kelly, EDGE, UCF.

Lastly, we have our second UCF EDGE of the draft class with Nyjalik Kelly; he also played for the Miami Hurricanes between 2022 and 2023.

Dallas has a 30-visit scheduled with Kelly, so that shows their interest already, but additionally, I think it makes sense to add more than one pass-rusher in this class, and this guy has some collegiate production that proves worthy of a dart throw.

He had 8.5 sacks and five forced fumbles over the past two seasons, and at 6’5″, 256, nobody can deny he’s got NFL size.