Lack of Smoke Around Cowboys Trade Hints at Logical First-Round Approach in NFL Draft

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Lack of Smoke Around Cowboys Trade Hints at Logical First-Round Approach in NFL Draft

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Apr 20, 2026 3:05 PM ET

There was a ton of rumors about the Dallas Cowboys possibly being aggressive and trading up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft as recently as a week ago, but it seems that is starting to die down.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah was a guest on the" Yahoo Fantasy Forecast" on Monday and revealed he is not hearing any rumblings about Dallas' desire to trade up from the No. 12 pick.

"I have not heard anything on the trade up stuff with (Dallas)," he said. "So, you know, again, everybody talks to different folks. I have not heard that yet. So, maybe that's something that I just haven't gotten to, but I have not heard anything."

Jeremiah went on to say that trading up from No. 12, "doesn't really kind of fit the way that (the Cowboys) have operated as of late, which has been a lot more conservative."

Jeremiah then suggested that maybe the Cowboys could decide to trade back from the No. 20 pick if they like a player slated to go at the end of the first round, like UCF's Malachi Lawrence, who he reported could be a target of Dallas."

The NFL Draft guru isn't the only one who has said this of late. Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson shared the same sentiment.

"I talked to someone in Dallas. Those two first-round picks, they feel like they can get contributing players for 2026," Robinson reported. "They feel good about getting two players."

Why Cowboys should stick and pick at 12

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Cowboys were to make a significant trade up, they would have to surrender at least both of their first-round picks, and possibly more depending on how high they go.

Sure, the Cowboys could get a second-round pick back in such a trade, according to the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, but moving back from 20 decreases the odds Dallas picks up an immediate contributor.

At No. 12, the Cowboys will pick up one of the better prospects in the entire class, and maybe a truly elite one, like Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, for example.

And, as Jeremiah notes, the Cowboys have multiple options at No. 20. They can stick and pick there, also, or they can pull off a trade back that lands a pick or improves their slot in a later round.

As we laid out in a previous article, Dallas could, for example, make a trade down with the Arizona Cardinals that gets Arizona's second-round pick while also acquiring the Cardinals' third- and fifth-rounders.

A more realistic example is striking a deal with the Cleveland Browns for their No. 24 pick and a third-round pick swap that features Dallas moving up 22 spots.

The lack of noise about a possible trade up shouldn't be taken as gospel that one won't happen, but right now it seems less likely to happen than it did a week ago.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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