The 2026 NFL Draft is entering it’s final day, with the Dallas Cowboys having four picks remaining. The Cowboys spent the first day of the draft as a featured team, with two first-round picks while making two trades, and then spent Friday waiting for their turn to come.
They spent some of that time making a trade for a veteran player, adding San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters, before returning to the position with their pick at the end of the third round. Here’s a look at all that Dallas has done, as well as the place where readers can find up-to-minute details as Day 3 happens.
Round 1, Pick 11: Safety Caleb Downs, Ohio State
The Cowboys landed their man, as Downs is going to instantly be in charge of the defense. He’ll play nickel when in that alignment, and standard safety when they aren’t. The intelligence factor was one of the biggest issues in Dallas’ secondary last year and they’ve improved that significantly with this pick on the heels of signing safety Jalen Thompson in free agency.
Round 1, Pick 23: Edge Rusher Malachi Lawrence, University of Central Florida
Lawrence already has pro-level pass rush moves and will be a big help to a moribund pressure package for Dallas, as they never got home in 2025. He’ll be added to a rotation that features last year’s second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku, as well as trade acquisition Rashan Gary from Green Bay. Dallas moving to a 3-4 defense that like to run five-man fronts fits Lawrence’s skill set, as he can immediately be part of their pass-rush package.
Round 2, Pick 44: Traded in October 2025 for DT Quinnen Williams (NY Jets)
Acquired midseason, the Cowboys have built their defense around Williams being the centerpiece this offseason. Expect much greater results than what was seen down the stretch of a lost 2025 campaign.
Round 3, Pick 76: Traded in May 2025 for WR George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pickens was an All-Pro for the first time and recently signed his franchise tag offer. As long as there’s no post-draft trade like the one that brought him to Dallas, expect great things out of him in Year 2 as he chases the long-term security of a multi-year extension.
Related: Steelers choose QB with pick from Cowboys-Pickens trade
Round 3, Pick 92: LB Jaishawn Barham
Barham is an intriguing pick. After transferring from fellow Big 10 school Maryland, Michigan converted him to an edge rusher position. Dallas plans to move him back to off-ball linebacker and use him in a similar fashion to how Zack Baun has been used in Philadelphia the last two seasons. Not coincidentally, that’s where new DC Christian Parker.
Round 4, Pick 112: TBD
Round 4, Pick 114: TBD
Round 4, Pick 137: TBD
Round 5, Pick 152: Traded to 49ers for LB Dee Winters
Round 7, Pick 218: TBD
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft Day 3 Live Tracker: Pick-By-Pick Analysis
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
