BEST CASE: Ranking The TOP NFL Draft Outcomes For The Dallas Cowboys | Will Downs Fall To No. 12?

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys Podcast

Episode: Best Case – Ranking the Top NFL Draft Outcomes For the Dallas Cowboys | Will Downs Fall to No. 12?

Date: April 2, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Marcus and Landon dissect the potential scenarios for the Cowboys’ first round of the upcoming NFL Draft, analyzing the best and worst case outcomes at pick No. 12 (and No. 20). They walk through dream trade scenarios, optimal draft targets, creative trade-back ideas, and several landmines Dallas could stumble into if not careful. With deep insight, practical reasoning, and the show’s trademark candor, they deliver a comprehensive game plan for Round 1—tailored to the Cowboys’ needs but also applicable to any NFL draft aficionado eager to understand team-building strategy.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Best Case Scenario at Pick 12

• Staying at 12: Elite Defenders Falling
  • Both hosts agree the ideal scenario is simply to stay at pick 12 and draft an "A++" defensive prospect who, due to offensive talent being prioritized early, could unexpectedly fall:
    • Monsoon Delane (cornerback)
    • Sonny Styles (safety/linebacker hybrid)
    • Caleb Downs (safety)
  • Landon: "If the Cowboys took those guys at 12 without having to trade up, without having to do any maneuvering, sign me up. That is an A++ draft for me." (03:11)
  • Marcus supports this, emphasizing these scenarios offer the highest unforced value and allow the rest of the draft to unfold with flexibility (04:13).

2. Why One May Fall: Offensive Surge Early

• Logic for Elite Defenders Being Available
  • The top 11 picks are projected to favor offense (QBs, WRs, OL), pushing one of Dallas' coveted defensive targets to them:
    • Players cited as likely early offensive selections: Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah Love, Carnell Tate, and a handful of OL like Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano.
  • Landon: “All you need is at least five offensive players to go in the first 11... I do feel good that the Cowboys are going to have a realistic chance to get one of these three.” (05:15)

3. Downstream Effects & Pairing Options at Pick 20

• How the 12th Pick Shapes the 20th Pick
  • Preferences between Delane, Styles, and Downs also affect best fits for No. 20 (or trade-back options), especially focusing on pass rusher, secondary, or linebacker based on who falls at 12.
  • Pairing breakdowns:
    • Delane at 12: Target edge rusher at 20 (e.g., Cash’s Hal, Mesador, T.J. Parker). (08:02)
    • Styles at 12: Target secondary mate like Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Landon: "Can you imagine Sonny Styles and Emmanuel McNeil Warren, the size and length... That would be so much fun.” (08:52)
    • Downs at 12: Likely target edge or LB at 20, as high-end corners gone; could justify trading down from 20 for depth and value. (09:58)
  • Marcus: “If you draft downs, you have to... realize that downs is going to be the addition to your defensive secondary and a great one at that.” (09:30)

4. Outside-the-Box: Dream Trade Outcomes

• Go-for-Broke Scenario: Trade for Miles Garrett
  • Marcus jokes about an ultimate, albeit unrealistic, scenario—trading for Myles Garrett: "I’d give it all for Miles Garrett, I'd do it. I’m ready to win football games, man, go get good football players." (01:58)
• Trade-Up: Package for No. 3 & Josh Sweat
  • 12, 20, and a future third for Arizona’s pick at 3 + pass rusher Josh Sweat. Lets Dallas draft Arvel Reese, grabbing elite potential at LB/pass rusher and filling two major voids.
  • Marcus: "You get a proven pass rusher who comes in... and you also get a shot, potentially, at Reese... you’ve solved your linebacker situation and maybe your edge need.” (14:52)
• Trade-Up: 12 & 20 for 6 & 39
  • Allows assurance to get a top-6 blue-chipper, still snags a likely day-one starter in the late 30s due to the draft's plateau. (16:28)
• Trade-Back: Pittsburgh Scenario
  • Slide from 12 to 21, pick up 53, possibly Alex Highsmith or Nick Herbig. Focus here is on depth, cap flexibility, and multi-need coverage instead of “star chasing.” (17:41)

5. Creative Draft Strategy and the Value of Flexibility

• Marcus: “I love these elevator trades... where one pick goes up, one goes down, and you don’t lose the number of picks you have in the top 100.” (16:28)
• Landon highlights Pittsburgh as a recurring trade partner, noting the value in accumulating assets and young, cheap contracts to overhaul the defense. (19:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You stick at pick, you have a great player fall in your lap... Those are elite situations." — Marcus (04:13)
• “If the Cowboys reach past a bunch of defensive players who are all in the same tier as these offensive tackles and plucked an offensive tackle out of it, I would love to get some explanation before I broke my TV in half.” — Marcus, on worst-case misallocation (23:32)
• “It’s, it would be asinine to spend more resources on, on the offensive line. They just can’t do it.” — Landon (27:40)
• “Look at the state of your defense, for god’s sake. Like you need warm bodies that can walk.” — Marcus (27:09)
• "Please, please, Myles Garrett." — Landon, summing up his dream scenario (27:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Best Case Overview & Defense at 12: 01:10–05:15
• Offensive run & why elite defenders might fall: 05:15–06:28
• Pick 12 shapes Pick 20 (Pairings discussion): 07:40–09:58
• Trade-up (Myles Garrett / Top 3/6 targets / “Elevator” trades): 12:39–17:41
• Trade-back with Pittsburgh & Accumulating Day 2 Picks: 17:41–20:07
• Worst Case Scenarios (OL overkill, reaches, BPA pitfalls): 22:00–27:40
• Wrap & Final Appeals (“Please don’t do this, Jerry…”): 27:40–end

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Worst Case Scenarios

• Drafting an OL at 12: Consensus: “What are we doing here?” (22:22–23:49)
  • Taking Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, or any OL instead of a similar-graded defender is seen as a disastrous misallocation.
• Reaching on the Wrong Defender: (25:48)
  • Grabbing a C.J. Allen or Mesador at 12 due to needs instead of BPA within a proper tier is equally egregious.
• Overspending on offense when defense is the crisis:
  • “The last thing this team needs is another first round guard...” — Landon (23:49)

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Episode Tone & Language

The tone is analytical yet passionate—with a mix of dry wit and exasperation when discussing potential pitfalls, matched by enthusiasm when debating the full spectrum of possible moves and the hope for a transformative draft class.

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Final Takeaways

• Ideal: Stay at 12, draft Delane, Styles, or Downs, and pair with strong value at 20—or execute a creative, value-maximizing trade.
• Avoid at all costs: Forced offensive picks or “need-filling” reaches in defiance of the draft’s true value.
• Key: Trust the board, exploit a heavy offensive run, and use trade flexibility to build the defense Dallas needs to get back in contention.

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For a full appreciation and practical strategies for the Cowboys’ 2026 draft outlook, this episode is a must-listen for any Dallas fan or draftnik seeking clarity, context, and a bit of catharsis for the team’s current state.

Transcript

[Marcus Mosher]

It's the Locked on podcast network your team every day.

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Landon McCool]

What is the best possible outcome for the Cowboys in round one? We'll tell you next. You are Locked on Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network your team every day. Welcome back. I am your host Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool and on today's show we are discussing the best case scenarios for the Cowboys in round one. We'll talk about trade up options, we'll talk about trade down options. We'll talk about drafting offensive players, as crazy as that sounds. But for you, Landon, we're three weeks away from the draft. What would you say is the best possible outcome for the Cowboys in round one?

[Marcus Mosher]

Man, we, we talked about a lot of scenarios, a lot of potential trades and, you know, pick combinations and sequencing and you know, trade for a player and trade for more picks. And there's been a lot of these that we've kind of thrown around and we're going to kind of keep it to the realm of, of, I guess, semi realistic. I think that's. Yeah, I'm going to stretch the boundaries of that, of that border and say that. I think for me, I would give it all for Miles Garrett, I'd do it. I'd pull the trigger. I'd ask the price. I, I'm ready to win this, win football games, man, go get good football players. And if someone is dumb enough to trade a walking hall of Famer, but I guess we're dumb enough, what, to trade for one, too? I guess so. Yeah. I don't know what I, I think that to me is the one that. Because, because here's the thing, it's not just that you're getting Miles Garrett. It's that contract Is situation is absolutely ridiculous and beneficial for the Cowboys. You would somehow be trading for the best player, non quarterback in football, the best player in football and be paying like, you know, pennies on the dollar of what he's worth. So to me, that's the one that kind of gets my heart racing.

[Landon McCool]

Yes, I agree with you. If, if Miles Garrett is truly available and you don't have to give up the farm to go get him or even like a little part of the farm, I would do that. Right. Like I would, I would make that trade, but for the draft part of it. I think you and I have kind of come up with some really good scenarios here and I think for both of us, the best possible outcome is just staying at 12 and having one of the three elite defenders that we feel like could fall because I don't think Arvel Reese from Ohio State, I, I, he might fall to like 6. I don't think he's falling to 12. I think he goes early. David Bailey, maybe he falls to 7. I don't see him falling to 12, but I could see a scenario where Monsoon Delaine, Sonny Styles or Caleb downs falls to 12. I know how I would rank those guys, but honestly, all three of them, if the Cowboys took those guys at 12 without having to trade up, without having to do any maneuvering, sign me up. That is an A plus plus draft for me.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And again, we don't think David Bailey or Reese are realistic options here, but delaying Styles and Downs have, you know, real legs as being possibility. Better than 5%, let's say. Right. Like, yeah, I mean, so I, I think that, you know, those are the best case scenarios where you're, you stick a pick, you have a great player falls in your lap to you. Those are all obviously elite situations. And like we talked about before in many other shows, you know, we not only have preferences between those three players, but also there's an effect, there's a downstream effect on who you're going to pick at 20. Right. And I think no matter what, if you get one of these guys at 12, whoever you pick at 20, you're probably going to feel pretty decent about just because all the options we Talked about at 20 are, are really, you know, it's really wide open and, and you're still able to get some value at almost all three. I think probably depending on how the board falls, all three of the positions you would potentially need to be looking at.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, we're going to talk about some potential pairings with those players in just a second. But I still feel pretty confident that one of those three players will fall to 12. And one of the reasons why is that all you need is at least five offensive players to go in the first 11 picks. And I think with Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah Love and Carnell Tate, I think those three are very likely. And then I see at least two offensive linemen going inside the top 11 because every team needs offensive linemen. I think Francis Moinoa from Miami is a really good prospect. I think. Sponsored Fano is very similar to like a Joe Thuney. I think a lot of teams are going to want to add that to their offensive line room. I could even see a Kenyan Sadiq going inside the top 11 because he's such a unique player. We saw Colston Loveland go at 10 last year, so that wouldn't surprise me. And then maybe you see someone like Makai Lemon go early. Maybe it's Jordan Tyson. Maybe a team falls in love with Casey Concepcion and if that happens or if you get an extra defensive player that we're not thinking about jumping ahead of the Cowboys at 11, that's how one of these guys falls. So I, I do feel good that the Cowboys are going to have a realistic chance to get one of these three.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And, and I think that, you know, it's because of the reasons that that one of these elite guys might fall positional value might also be the reason that you, you have them follow you. Because, because you have teams going up and, and saying hey, like we, I know you don't, you're not into picking a wide receiver or picking a tackle but I certainly am. Let me take your pick. You could trade back and get more value the position you're targeting. And, and suddenly one team that we're, we're picking that we kind of penciled in as a defensive team, suddenly they're, they're, they're trading with a team that's desperate for a wide receiver one or a offensive tackle because they don't have one. So I do think that, you know there's so many players, it's such a plateau of talent that if there are teams that have desperate needs at one of those money five offensive positions and there's other several of these players, I think that that's where you're, that's going to be your saving grace to push down one of these guys like Delane Styles or Downs is someone coming up for, for you know, Malaluga or Fano or you know, any of these guys that, that are like expensive high end players that are not going to fall to them at 20 or whatever it is they're trading up from.

[Landon McCool]

Or could even be a team like the. The Rams jumping up a couple spots. It's too secure. The receiver that they want, kind of. Given the things going on with Puka Dakua Devonte Adams's age. I want to ask you, let's give you some realistic pairings for Delane Styles and downs at 20. So let's start with Delaine Monsour. Delane, you get your corner at 12. What are you hoping to get at 20?

[Marcus Mosher]

I. I think you could probably still target a pass rusher. I mean, I. I think 20 is still such a good area if you're interested in kind of getting another interesting pass rusher to add to the mix, whether it's Cash's Hal or. Or Messador, if you like Mesador. I. I think, you know, there's going to be guys down there that we thought. T.J. parker, we talked about that. I think it all could be available down there. That's probably where I would look first.

[Landon McCool]

All right. For me, Delane, and how would be amazing job. Now, what about Styles? I feel like if you draft Sonny Styles at 12, you're probably going to need to draft somebody in your secondary. Who would you like to get there?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean, I. I think emw has been a guy that we've looked at. I don't know if he's going to last that long. We don't really, really know where thieneman's like, you know, draft stock is. It seems like I see him top 11, top 20, who knows? It's great.

[Landon McCool]

Can you imagine Sunny styles and Emmanuel McNeil Warren, the size and length that you would suddenly add to the middle of your defense. That would be so much fun.

[Marcus Mosher]

Very difficult to throw on in the middle of the field. Yes.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And then Caleb Downs, who actually I think of the three is probably the most realistic. Now, what's tricky about this is the safety. Depth is really good in this class, so you're going to be, you know, you've taken the first safety in this class. We're actually going to do a mock draft that's coming out on Thursday where we're waiting on safeties. But if you draft downs at 12, you're getting an A plus player. Who would you like to pair them with at 20?

[Marcus Mosher]

I think if you draft downs, you have to, like, kind of just let yourself know that you're probably not going to get the corner that you want and just realize that downs is going to be the addition to your defensive secondary and a great one at that. That so I think you got to figure out whether you're attacking linebacker or edge at the edge player at 20. I again would probably go with the edge player just because value and a whole bunch of other reasons and it seemingly there's been a lot of linebackers available at 92, so I think that's probably how I would do that.

[Landon McCool]

Downs is funny because they do feel like he solves a lot of the issues that you have in your secondary. He could solve your slot corner job. He can come down and play in the box. It actually I think it opens their draft up to maybe trade down at 20, which maybe is the best case scenario anyways. You move bound, you know, down from let's say 20 to 28 to 30, pick up another day to pick and you build your defense out that way. But again, our perfect scenario outside of trading for Miles Garrett is Monsoon Delane, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, one of those guys falling to 12 and now you can just kind of draft freely the rest of the way. What about some of the other scenarios? Could we see the Cowboys trading up? What about trading back from 12? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by fanduel. The tournament is here. It's one of the best times of the year. Brackets, buzzer beaters upset. We had it all in the elite eight. It was amazing. It's non stop action from tip to final cut down. And right now FanDuel is giving new customers a way to stay in the action all tournament long. And here's the best part. You can get up to 300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. That means 10 chances to stay involved throughout the entire tournament. And you could mix it up however you want. Game picks, futures or even same game parlays for bigger potential payouts. It's perfect for the tournament because every day there's something new. Different matchups, new storylines and more ways to get involved in as the bracket unfolds. So visit FanDuel.com today to sign up. That is FanDuel.com to get in on the action.

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[Landon McCool]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast. Don't forget to check out the Everydayer Club for ad free episodes and access to a group chat with Landon and I and other listeners of the show. Tap the link in the show notes or go to lothencows.supercast.com all right, so that's our preferred scenario. Delane Styles or Downs at 12. But what's next? Let's talk about some other things that could play out that you would be happy with.

[Marcus Mosher]

So the other option that we've talked about that we would be totally thrilled about is trading is is whether it's trade down or trade up in this, in this draft for me because I think, you know, you could this is a unique draft like we talked about. There isn't a lot of elite talent but you're in range that if you do a small trade up you could potentially secure a guy like maybe even as here above the guys that we talked about in this in that last segment. So I think the, the trade scenarios we've laid out, we've laid out a couple of them and I think that they're all kind of present different things that you're trying to achieve, right? Whether you're attacking up top to go get an elite player and then you know, also getting the added benefit of some of these trading back with with your second, the second pick to, to get into a range to get some really valuable stuff in the kind of second and third range. So lots of variety in these trades I think. Let's start with the one that we kind of came up with which was a little bit unique was was 12 and 20 and a 2027 third to the Cardinals for the third overall pick and Josh Sweat with the idea that you would then draft Arvl Reese if he were to fall at 3. I love this one simply because it really, really hits two weaknesses extremely hard, right? You get a proven pass rusher who comes in can serve as the number one has worked in this defense before. It works out for the Cardinals who are kind of in a salary dump situation and trying to just kind of not get trying to get younger as they rebuild, right? And then you also get into shot potentially and we don't know if this works out obviously if, if number two doesn't play the way we think or if they decide that they like Bailey up in New York more than they like Reese. Suddenly Reese is available. You hit Reese, you've got a linebacker, you solve your linebacker solution and if you want to use him as a pass rusher on third downs, you haven't necessarily solved your edge need, but you potentially have given as best as you can a lot of solution to the pass rush in the, in the draft because he can serve as a blitzer and as a guy who can pass rush on third downs for sure. So I, I think that that's a really effective way to get some really good stuff at all with the just kind of even traded.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And you might have to pay a little bit more because sweat is a really good player. But I think the idea for Arizona is maybe they love Ty Simpson but they feel like nobody's going to take him between picks three and 12. So you drop back to 12, you take Ty Simpson and now you get another first round pick to maybe build up the offensive line. I think you should be able to get a decent player there. Or maybe they just, they love Francis Maminoa but they don't think he's worth the third pick. But they feel really good about Monroe Freeling or Spencer Fano at 12 and that's how they improve the offensive line. I, I, we've seen Arizona with Monte Ossafort be pretty aggressive in trades. I, I think that makes a lot of sense and I also think it makes a lot of sense for Dallas. The other trade landing that we, we've been talking about now for feels like two months is going up to six. So this would still be a trade up. It wouldn't cost us as much but it would be picks 12 and 20 for picks 6 and 39 and maybe the Cowboys and they have to throw in an additional pick. Maybe it's a fourth rounder, maybe it's a next year third rounder. I don't know what it, whatever needs to, to, to work out and the reason is you go up to six, you guarantee yourself that you're going to get one of the top probably two or three players on your board. Maybe it's Delane, maybe you take Styles, maybe you take David Bailey and then at 39 it's a drop off, a pretty significant drop off from 20 to 39. But you're still able to get maybe a corner that you like. Maybe it's Chris Johnson, maybe it's Colton Hood, maybe you get Jacob Rodriguez who falls to that spot. I still think you can come away with two day one starters with those two picks.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean for you, I mean for the Cowboys like there's a real possibility that the player that you're taking at 39 is of the same quality that you would have taken at 20, you know, and that's, that's the reality of where this, this, this, this draft plateaus. So I love these sort of elevator trades, I call them, right, where one of your pick goes up and the other pick goes down and, and you use the value and the trade down to get the value and the trade up. Just because I love the idea of trading without losing the number of picks that you have and especially in the top 100, I think that's really important. And for the Cowboys, honestly, it's better positioning at both picks in some ways, right? Like, because 20 is really the start of where that second round plateau starts to happen. So might as well be, you know, trade back a little bit and get that value at the top then and get, like I said, very likely maybe one or two of the players that you would have targeted at 20 are off the board versus what you would have had at 39, maybe not like. So I, I think that you have the opportunity to get a similar type player, even though it is a steep drop. A similar type player at that kind of trade back situation while getting a much better player at the top.

[Landon McCool]

The only reason I don't like this more than the first one that we mentioned is there's a chance that you're trading up to 6, 4, let's say it's styles or downs and they might have gotten to you anyways at 12. So you are, you're paying a price to ensure that you don't have to, to fight all these teams and you're not biting your fingernails in the war room. I honestly, I'm okay with it because you're not necessarily losing a pick, you're just moving down. As you mentioned, I think this would be one of my favorites, which we should mention another trade if the Cowboys want to move down. We've been looking at Pittsburgh for a while. Who drafts at 21. You move back from 12 to 21 and there's a couple different ways that you could do this. You could grab their second round pick, which is 53. And the idea for Pittsburgh is they're coming up to draft either Ty Simpson ahead of the Rams or they're coming up to get someone like Makai Lemon or Jordan Tyson. You get Alex Highsmith in a trade, you get Nick her big in a trade or you get pick 52. You're not going to get an elite player at 20 and 21, but you're building out the depth of your defense.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And I think especially in those trades where you trade back and get Herbig or Highsmith, I, I think that those make a ton of sense because again, the value is immediate. You get a player that can come in and contribute right away and you check off one of your, one of your boxes right away. So I, I, I love these, these kind of more creative trade ideas. I'm hoping that with the, the rise of the analytics department that the Cowboys have, have developed that, that we'll see a little bit more of this. It feels like we have already. So I'm hoping that they're, they, they kind of do pulls off some stuff like this because there are great ways to get value out of these picks without just standing and picking necessarily or you know, packaging both together to trade up.

[Landon McCool]

And I mean, I, you could talk yourself into like, okay, if you have picks 20, 21 and 53, that's Pittsburgh second round pick, maybe you draft like it's Emmanuel McNeil. Warren, it's again, I'm just throwing out some names. Cassius House. So you've got your slot corner slash safety. Cassius, how's your starting edge rusher? And then at pick 53, you get Anthony Hill. And now you've just solved three big needs on your defense. And yes, maybe you don't have superstars, but you've got a lot of young players on cheap contracts and that's the best way to get this defense moving forward.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, absolutely. There's lots of different ways to solve this and we've just laid out a couple of them for you.

[Landon McCool]

All right, so let's talk about some of the worst case scenarios in round one. There's not a ton, but there are a couple that would leave us scratching our heads and yelling into our computer screens. We'll tell you what they are next. This episode is brought to you by Robin Hood. What if sports were traded like markets? Now you can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robinhood Prediction Markets. It's not you against the House. It's you participating in a live market. You can buy or sell your positions live all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robinhood Prediction Prediction Markets changes the game. It's people moving the action so when the momentum shifts, you can move with it. I've always known the game, but never had a dynamic way to apply that knowledge. Now I can actually take part live in a market powered by the people. You're no longer just a spectator. Play by play, you decide trade Every play with Robinhood now available across the U.S. download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swap trading involve significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. And event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives llc, a registered future commission merchant and swap firm.

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[Landon McCool]

Welcome back to the Lot Done Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen. Every single day we've laid out a lot of different scenarios that we honestly, we really like all these. There's not too many of them that we don't like. But for you, what would be the worst possible likely outcome for the Cowboys in round one? That's a lot of work.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes. It's a lot of qualifiers. I don't know how likely. I mean, I guess it is kind of likely. But, you know, if the Cowboys stayed at 12 and they went out and picked like Francis Malinoa or, or Spencer Fano, I just, I, I think I would, I would be shocked before I would get really upset, you know, just because what are we doing here at this point? And it's not even just the idea. And I know some people will come out at me and say, best player available. Like even a tackle, right? And to me, it's not even just the misallocation of resources, which it is a huge misallocation of resources. It's already bordering on a misallocation of resources. I think it's the fact that everyone does this best player available dance when we all watched as these players, who are all very middling, very flawed prospects, got artificially pushed up into the top 10 because of positional value. And now we're double counting it by saying that they're the best player available. We have to take them because they fell to us when they're all at the same tier as all the defensive players that are also still available that you still like. If the Cowboys reach past a bunch of defensive players who are all in the same tier as these offensive tackles and plucked an offensive tackle out of it. I would love to get some explanation before I broke my TV in half.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, and I get it. Like, I like Spencer Fano. I'm a huge fan. I just don't know where he, I don't know where he fits. And I, I mean, his best spot in the NFL is probably at guard, this team, the last thing this team needs is another first round guard. Right? Like so. And I, I just don't think they should be giving up on Tyler Guyton right away. And they just paid Terence Steele a bunch of guaranteed money to be now a swing tackle. It's just this team is not in a position where they can spend yet another valuable resource on the offensive line. And even at receiver, like, yeah, I like Carnell Tate more than most, but I also get it, like, Carnell Tate's your third receiver on a year, you know, coming off a year where you had the worst defense in franchise history. If you would have been more active in free agency and really busted the budget, I think you, I, I could at least see the vision. I kind of agree. Like, drafting almost any offensive player would have us scratching our heads.

[Marcus Mosher]

I, I think really, unless your last name is Love. I, I really don't even see the argument. And I think the only reason that Love is in the argument is because he is a blue chip player. You know, and, and I think, you know, we've talked about this whole situation. Please go back and listen to our podcast on, on Jeremiah Love and how we feel about it. But I, I think outside of that, like, there isn't a player on offense that wasn't already being artificially pushed up because of just the, the lack of talent at the top. So I love, I agree with you, by the way. I love fo, I love Maoa. I just don't love necessarily them as tackles. And even if they do play tackle, I think that there's some flaws to them to the point where in other draft classes they would be offensive tackle, six or seven, you know, and they're being pushed up as one and two. And now we're being told that we would potentially have to take them because they're the best player available. Don't double count that. Don't do it.

[Landon McCool]

I think my worst case scenario is them just reaching on a defensive player like C.J. allen. Now I, again, I don't know how realistic this is, but maybe they feel like, hey, CG Allen's not going to fall to us at 20. We got wiped out with Delane Styles and downs. Let's just take them, fill that need. I mean, and I, I get why they're doing that, but you're drafting a player that nobody has in that range because you have a need. You're just not drafting pure at all. And I would, I would say the same thing about Mesador in the same sense that, I mean you're drafting a really old player with injury histories like this. This is not the time to take that risk. To me, that's the worst case scenario because I, I don't think those guys are awful football players by any means. But 12 is when you should be getting a foundational player on a cheap contract. That's going to give you value. And I just don't see it with Alan and Mezador. He's a one contract player for you. And I think that's just hard for

[Marcus Mosher]

me to stomach if I had to rank them. Right. I think worst case scenario is drafting a tackle. Like I said, I think second worst is what you just described. Reaching on a defensive player. That's bad, Right. I think the, the third from the worst is, is doing so at wide receiver. I think you're likely to get a good wide receiver because you're probably drafting one or two. Right.

[Landon McCool]

And a valuable player. Right?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes. I think if you reach a defense at least, at the very least I would imagine you get a semi talented defensive player. Maybe not the quality that you're getting in the first round, but look at the state of your defense, for God's sakes. Like you need warm bodies who can walk. I again go point to the fact that the offensive tackle situation, it's, it's borderline. You know, someone should get arrested potentially if that happens. Like I'm going to bring charges against the Jerry Jones and his family if they do.

[Landon McCool]

I agree with you. It's, it would be asinine to spend more resources on, on the offensive line. They just can't do it. But there we go. We laid out our best scenario. Delane Styles downs in round one at pick 12. Trading up. We both like the idea of going up and getting your guy or making a big trade back and trying to add more day to day two draft picks. And then worst case scenario, doing whatever we just described there. Don't, don't over draft bad defensive players just because you need defensive players. And do not draft an offensive lineman. Please, please, Miles Gary. Yeah. Well, there you go, Miles Gary. That's number one. Yes, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making lockdown Cowboys your first listen every single day. If you never miss an episode, the Everydayer club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discourse, discord access and so much more. Head over to locked on cowboys.supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24.7national NBA YouTube channel and on audio. Make your second listen the Locked on NFL Draft podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @McCool BCB. I'm @Marcus Moser and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

[Marcus Mosher]

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[Landon McCool]

Liberty.

[Marcus Mosher]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.