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The 2025\u201326 NFL season is officially in the books<\/strong>, and for the Dallas Cowboys<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, attention has fully shifted toward rebuilding, recalibrating, and redefining the roster for the future.<\/p>\n While playoff football continued without them, Dallas has already been laying the groundwork for what could be a pivotal offseason.<\/p>\n The first major step came on the coaching staff.<\/p>\n By hiring Christian Parker<\/strong> as the new defensive coordinator, the Cowboys sent a clear message that defensive accountability and versatility will be central themes moving forward.<\/p>\n Now comes the harder part.<\/p>\n Fixing a roster that showed flashes of talent but ultimately fell short in key areas, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.<\/p>\n One of the most intriguing aspects of Dallas\u2019 2026 offseason is draft capital.<\/p>\n The Cowboys enter the 2026 NFL Draft<\/strong> holding two first-round selections<\/strong>, a luxury few teams possess.<\/p>\n That alone opens multiple paths.<\/p>\n They can package picks to move up.<\/p>\n They can sit tight and double-dip on premium talent.<\/p>\n Or they can pivot toward immediate needs while still thinking long term.<\/p>\n With Super Bowl LXI<\/strong> crowning the Seattle Seahawks<\/span><\/span><\/strong> as champions, draft season has officially begun across the league.<\/p>\n And early projections suggest Dallas may use this opportunity to aggressively rebuild its defense.<\/p>\n In a recent 2026 mock draft projection, analyst Nick Baumgardner<\/strong> outlined a path where the Cowboys lean heavily into defensive upgrades.<\/p>\n Rather than chasing offensive firepower, Dallas is projected to prioritize speed, athleticism, and positional versatility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The mock draft sends a clear signal.<\/p>\n This version of the Cowboys is built to stop modern NFL offenses.<\/p>\n With their first selection, Dallas is projected to land Sonny Styles<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, one of the most physically unique defenders in the 2026 draft class.<\/p>\n Styles enters the league carrying both pedigree and production.<\/p>\n He is the son of former NFL linebacker Lorenzo Styles<\/strong>, and his football IQ shows up immediately on film.<\/p>\n But what truly separates him is how difficult he is to categorize.<\/p>\n Styles began his college career as a big safety<\/strong>, moving like a defensive back while playing close to the box.<\/p>\n By the end of his time at Ohio State Buckeyes<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, he had evolved into an ultra-athletic linebacker who still runs like a safety.<\/p>\n That hybrid profile is exactly what modern defenses crave.<\/p>\n As Baumgardner described him, Styles is a \u201cfreaky\u201d Buckeye who defies traditional positional labels.<\/p>\n He is not a pure edge rusher.<\/p>\n He is not a classic off-ball linebacker.<\/p>\n He is something in between.<\/p>\n During his senior season, Styles filled the stat sheet in every imaginable way.<\/p>\n He recorded 82 total tackles<\/strong>, showing his ability to clean up plays sideline to sideline.<\/p>\n He added 6.5 tackles for loss<\/strong>, demonstrating instincts and burst when attacking gaps.<\/p>\n He chipped in one sack<\/strong>, one interception<\/strong>, and one forced fumble<\/strong>, highlighting his all-around impact.<\/p>\n The numbers tell only part of the story.<\/p>\n On film, Styles thrives in space.<\/p>\n He closes quickly.<\/p>\n He diagnoses plays faster than most linebackers his size.<\/p>\n And he allows defensive coordinators to disguise coverage and pressure packages.<\/p>\n Baumgardner stopped short of comparing him directly to Micah Parsons<\/strong>, but the implication was clear.<\/p>\n Styles could offer a similar type of versatility<\/strong>, giving Dallas another movable chess piece in the front seven.<\/p>\n Dallas\u2019 defense has lacked flexibility at the second level.<\/p>\n In recent seasons, opposing offenses exploited mismatches with motion and athletic tight ends.<\/p>\n Styles addresses that issue immediately.<\/p>\n He can cover.<\/p>\n He can blitz.<\/p>\n He can spy mobile quarterbacks.<\/p>\n And he can stay on the field in virtually any package.<\/p>\n For a defense transitioning under a new coordinator, that adaptability is invaluable.<\/p>\n With their second first-round pick, the Cowboys turn to the secondary.<\/p>\n And it is not hard to see why.<\/p>\n Dallas\u2019 pass defense ranked dead last in the league<\/strong> during the 2025 season, a glaring weakness that consistently cost them games.<\/p>\n The mock draft projects Dallas selecting Brandon Cisse<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, a fast-rising defensive back from South Carolina Gamecocks<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Cisse is one of the most intriguing risers in the class.<\/p>\n Standing around 6-foot and 190 pounds<\/strong>, Cisse brings ideal size for an outside corner.<\/p>\n But it is his speed that has scouts buzzing.<\/p>\n If he confirms expectations at the NFL Combine, a 4.3-second 40-yard dash<\/strong> is very much in play.<\/p>\n Speed alone does not make a corner.<\/p>\n Cisse pairs it with ball awareness and physicality.<\/p>\n During his lone season at South Carolina, he recorded seven pass breakups<\/strong> and forced eight incompletions<\/strong>, consistently disrupting passing lanes.<\/p>\n Quarterbacks rarely felt comfortable throwing his direction.<\/p>\n Cisse\u2019s path was not linear.<\/p>\n He spent two seasons with the NC State Wolfpack<\/span><\/span><\/strong> before transferring to South Carolina for his junior year.<\/p>\n That move unlocked his game.<\/p>\n In his final season, he posted 27 tackles<\/strong>, 1.5 tackles for loss<\/strong>, one interception<\/strong>, one forced fumble<\/strong>, and five passes defensed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Those numbers, combined with his athletic profile, have driven his rapid rise up draft boards.<\/p>\n For Dallas, Cisse represents both immediate help and long-term upside.<\/p>\n The Cowboys\u2019 secondary has been a problem area for multiple seasons.<\/p>\n Injuries, inconsistency, and a lack of speed on the outside left the defense vulnerable.<\/p>\n Cisse offers a potential solution.<\/p>\n He brings recovery speed.<\/p>\n He brings physicality at the catch point.<\/p>\n And he brings a mentality geared toward making plays on the ball.<\/p>\n Paired with an upgraded linebacker group, his presence could fundamentally change how Dallas defends the pass.<\/p>\n This mock draft paints a clear picture of what the Cowboys might prioritize in 2026.<\/p>\n They are not chasing flash.<\/p>\n They are chasing defensive flexibility, speed, and disruption<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Sonny Styles gives them a hybrid defender who can alter game plans.<\/p>\n Brandon Cisse gives them a corner with the tools to survive on an island.<\/p>\n Together, they represent a shift toward a faster, more adaptable defense.<\/p>\n The 2026 NFL Draft<\/strong>, set to take place in Pittsburgh<\/span><\/span><\/strong> from April 23 through April 25, will ultimately determine how aggressive Dallas chooses to be.<\/p>\n Mock drafts are not guarantees.<\/p>\n But they are indicators.<\/p>\n And this projection suggests the Cowboys understand exactly where improvement is needed.<\/p>\n If Dallas follows a path similar to this one, the defense could look very different by the time Week 1 arrives.<\/p>\n For a franchise searching for its next leap forward, that transformation cannot come soon enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New Cowboys 2026 NFL Mock Draft targets a \u201cfreaky\u201d linebacker and a fast-rising cornerback to reshape the defense The 2025\u201326 NFL season is officially in the books,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":150888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nTwo first-round picks give Dallas rare flexibility<\/h3>\n
\nA defensive-heavy vision in the latest 2026 mock draft<\/h3>\n
\nPick No. 12: Sonny Styles, Linebacker, Ohio State<\/h2>\n
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\nProduction meets versatility<\/h3>\n
\nWhy Styles fits Dallas perfectly<\/h3>\n
\nPick No. 20 (via Packers): Brandon Cisse, Cornerback, South Carolina<\/h2>\n
\nA cornerback with speed and instincts<\/h3>\n
\nA late-blooming but dangerous prospect<\/h3>\n
\nAddressing the Cowboys\u2019 biggest weakness<\/h3>\n
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\nA draft blueprint that signals defensive identity<\/h3>\n
\nThe road ahead<\/h3>\n