MOCK DRAFT: Cowboys Draft STRATEGY Without Caleb Downs—Why Waiting at Safety Works!

Summary

Locked On Cowboys – April 2, 2026

MOCK DRAFT: Cowboys Draft STRATEGY Without Caleb Downs—Why Waiting at Safety Works!

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Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool run through a Dallas Cowboys mock draft scenario where the team does not use a first-round pick on a safety, specifically missing out on highly touted prospect Caleb Downs. The discussion explores the depth of the 2026 NFL Draft safety class and investigates the value and strategy of waiting to select a safety in later rounds. Using the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator, they walk listeners through each stage of their mock, debating positional priorities, potential trades, and the overall impact on the Cowboys' defensive rebuild.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Draft Strategy Without a First-Round Safety

• The 2026 safety draft class is considered "absolutely loaded," but the Cowboys have recently signed Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency.

• The hosts question whether Dallas needs to target safety early, given roster moves and safety depth in the draft.

  "What if they just don't value that position highly in the draft?"
  — Marcus Mosher (01:33)

• Landon: Suggests waiting on safety because the draft is deep and Cowboys have addressed the position in free agency:

  “What if they view the talent in the draft as really deep...they can wait a little while and get one later.” (02:04)

2. First-Round Mock Draft Breakdown

• Using PFF’s simulator, the hosts walk through the first 11 picks. Notably, both Caleb Downs and another top safety are off the board by pick 11, leading to Monsour Delane (cornerback) being Dallas’ ultimate choice at pick 12.

  “Standing pat and having Monsour Delane fall to you I think is a dream situation.”
  — Landon McCool (03:22)

3. Navigating the Second First-Round Pick (Pick 20)

• With a strong corner on the roster, the team narrows options to just a handful of defensive prospects.

• Trade options are discussed; Marcus floats a trade down with Arizona to pick 34, mentioning possible compensation (Josh Sweat, Zaven Collins).

• Landon ultimately prefers addressing linebacker Jacob Rodriguez at the top of the second round after the trade.

  “If it’s Delane and Mezador at 20, I’m not going to complain.”
  — Marcus Mosher (04:49)

  “I would say for me, it’s Mesador or ... maybe Omar Cooper if they know something I don’t know at this point.”
  — Landon McCool (04:52)

4. Trade Decision & Day Two Value

• The Cowboys accept a package: Edge rusher Josh Sweat and pick 34 in exchange for pick 20—an example of maximizing value and filling immediate needs.
• Jacob Rodriguez is the eventual second pick (now pick 34) for linebacker help.

  “We also heard from Clarence Hill this week that the Cowboys do like Jacob Rodriguez quite a bit.”
  — Marcus Mosher (06:45)

5. Mid-Round Analysis: Waiting on Safety

• At picks 92 and 112, the hosts reevaluate safety options. Names discussed: Bud Clark, Zachy Wheatley, Genesis Smith. The class is deep, so they feel no need to rush.

• Landon believes the team could tighten up run defense and address RB later.

  “It’s a pretty decent class...Bud Clark, we’ve talked about him a lot...Zachy Wheatley, more of a single high.”
  — Landon McCool (09:42)

• They ultimately select Dante Corleone (nose tackle) and Bud Clark (safety) in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, with a plan to target running back slightly later if needed.

  “What we could do is wait on running back, get Bud Clark now, and then see if Singleton is still available a little bit later.”
  — Landon McCool (12:07)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On positional sequencing and discipline:

  “The reason why we do these exercises is because it’s important for draft sequencing ... how can you fill all of your needs and get the best players available.”
  — Marcus Mosher (02:29)

• On outcomes of the mock draft:

  “That is five defensive players that you have added in one draft. Landon, I feel like at least three of them are day one starters and the other two are guys that are rotating in at least as rookies.”
  — Marcus Mosher (12:14)

  “That’d be a really good first step...I think that’s a great first step for a Christian Parker defense.”
  — Landon McCool (12:52)

• Tongue-in-cheek appeal to Cowboys front office:

  “Stephen Jones, call us. We'll help you run the draft. It's not a problem at all.”
  — Marcus Mosher (13:04)

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Mock Draft Recap & Analysis

Final Outcome (Through Four Rounds):

• Pick 12: Monsour Delane (CB)
• Trade – Acquire Josh Sweat (Edge) and pick 34, give up pick 20
• Pick 34: Jacob Rodriguez (LB)
• Pick 92: Dante Corleone (DT)
• Pick 112: Bud Clark (S)

Key Takeaways:

• Waiting on safety can yield quality players due to the draft's depth.
• Trades can help fill multiple needs.
• Defensive roster retooling is prioritized, with multiple immediate contributors projected.
• Flexibility and BPA (best player available) are crucial, especially on Day 2 and early Day 3.

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Important Timestamps

• 01:33 – Introduction to draft strategy without prioritizing safety
• 03:22 – Monsour Delane selection analyzed
• 04:49–05:41 – Pick 20 trade deliberations
• 06:45 – Discussion on Jacob Rodriguez and insider Cowboys news
• 09:42 – Detailed look at mid-round safety options
• 12:07–12:14 – Strategic decision to take Bud Clark at safety
• 12:52 – Reflections on defensive improvements and long-term potential

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Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, analytical, and peppered with dry humor. The hosts blend practical draft logic ("draft sequencing") with a fan's enthusiasm and occasional inside jokes about the Cowboys front office and draft process. The episode is highly informative for fans tracking Dallas’s team-building strategies and draft philosophies.

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Summary

This episode delivers an insightful exploration of Dallas Cowboys draft strategy, showing the value of patience at deep positions—especially safety—in the 2026 NFL Draft. Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool provide both tactical perspectives and real-time reactions as their mock draft unfolds, offering a blueprint for a successful, defense-centric draft class even when elite safeties aren’t available early.

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Hosts: Marcus Moser & Landon McCool
Podcast: Locked On Cowboys
Episode Date: April 2, 2026
Mock Draft Theme: Avoiding early safety picks; maximizing value through trades and positional depth

Transcript

[Marcus Moser]

It's the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance to save you money. That's it. That's the ad. No bells and whistles? No, guys. I said no bells and whistles. No. Trombones are fine. Visit libertymutual.com and make the switch today. Liberty. Liberty.

[Landon McCool]

Liberty.

[Marcus Moser]

Liberty. Adobe Acrobat. Your team's home base. Collaborate within a shared PDF space. You've got your docs, your plans, your specs and then invite the crew to build what's next. Talk off the teamwork. They think that this design could be a contender. And when somebody wonders what's the next steps, AI helps you finish the rest. Bolts are tight. Plans refined. Run a smoother business when you're all aligned. Do that with Acrobat. Learn [e-mail] do that with Acrobat. The 2026 safety class is absolutely loaded. But what if the Cowboys don't draft one in round one? I'll tell you what's going to happen next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome back to the Lockdown Cowboys podcast. I am your host, Marcus Moser. He is Landon McCool. And on today's show, we're going to do a mock draft where the Cowboys avoid safeties in round one. We're going to use the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator, which means, of course, probably Caleb Downs will follow us at 12. But Landon, the idea here is there's a lot of safeties in this class. It's really deep. Cowboys did sign Jalen Thompson. They signed P.J. locke. What if they just don't value that position highly in the draft?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, or, or even more. So what if they view the, the, the talent in the draft as, as really deep and they, they don't feel like they want to spend a premium pick at the position when they feel like they can wait a little while and get one later. So yeah, I, I, I, I think and again, also, they also did spin specifically at free in the free agent market at that position. So maybe they feel like they don't necessarily need to kind of spend a premium pick to get a safety.

[Marcus Moser]

And the reason why we do these exercises is because it's important for draft sequencing to see how can you fill all of your needs and get the best players available at the positions that you want to target. And every once in a while you'll figure out, hey, I love Caleb Downs, but it's actually better for the Cowboys long term. If they draft a couple different positions, let's go through the mock draft and kind of see how it plays out. So this one, Arvell Reese goes to. You've got. Look, I'm looking at it right now. Francis Moeno goes 3. Sonny Styles 4. Ruben Bain. 5. Jeremiah Loves. 6. Carnell Tate at 7, David Bailey at 8. Dylan Dinaman to the Chiefs at 9. Spencer Fano to the Bengals at 10. And look how this worked out. Landon Caleb Downs to the dolphins at 11. Two safeties off the board, inside the top 11. And that leaves Monsour Delaine at pick 12.

[Landon McCool]

BFF mock draft simulator. Heard you, Marcus. And they were. They took it personally. Yeah. And look, and obviously we're thrilled we've talked about this before. Standing and standing pat and having man sword delay and fall to you. I think is. Is. Is a dream situation.

[Marcus Moser]

So go listen to our podcast. Earlier today, we talked about our favorite outcomes. This would be one right here.

[Landon McCool]

Absolutely. So we're gleefully skipping up to the. The. The podium and turning in our card.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, again, I mean, how likely is it that Delane's gonna fall to 12? I don't know, but there are. I could see a situation where a team falls in love with Dylan Thieman, and that's how it happens. So we're at pick 20 now. Again, no safeties. Emmanuel McNeil, Warren on the board. You've got your corner, so you kind of can rule out those guys. The top non safeties available. CJ Allen, Hakeem Mazador, Cassius Howe, Kaden Proctor, Kaden McDonald, Caleb Banks, Peter Woods, Colton Hoods. A Colton Hood. Uh, you still have got guys like Jacob Rodriguez, who I love. Chris Johnson, who I love. What are you doing here?

[Landon McCool]

I'm pretty sure Caleb Banks went to the Dolphins, didn't he? Uh, no. Uh, I think, you know, look, we may. We may not love him at 20, but I think it's, you know, C.J. allen makes some sense. I. I like Akeem Eor. I know you're not a fan, and I understand your issue, but hey, if it's.

[Marcus Moser]

If it's Delane and Mezador at 20, I'm not going to complain.

[Landon McCool]

You're still going to be so giddy that it won't matter. So I. I would say for me, it's. It's Mesador or, you know, I mean, I would consider Omar Cooper if they know something. I don't know at this point, but like, I. I think, you know, Mesador for me is a pretty clear pick for I. Because I think he's going to come in and help you right away.

[Marcus Moser]

Any interest in a trade? We've got a couple of teams that are looking at to move up, including the Arizona Cardinals who have the 34th picks. That's the, the highest team that's interested in this one.

[Landon McCool]

That is pretty far to go back. So. And I don't know that there's anything that I would like else. I mean, 34 and 65. Yeah, let's see. Josh Sweat and 34.

[Marcus Moser]

Josh Sweat and 34.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I would do that. Josh Sweat, 34.

[Marcus Moser]

Let's do that. All right, let's. Maybe, maybe it's not Josh Sweat, maybe it's saving Collins, who is another linebacker that we've been talking about. Now that's probably a little bit too far to drop down to to get just saving Collins, but hey, you never know. So at pick 34, we're going to run through this quickly. You still have guys like Jacob Rodriguez and Chris Johnson who we both like quite a bit, that would be good players. But you've already drafted your safety or, sorry, your corner. Is this too high for Jacob Rodriguez?

[Landon McCool]

No, but it's also not so too high for our Mason Thomas in my opinion either, who is an incredible pass rusher out of the University of Oklahoma, who I like a lot as well.

[Marcus Moser]

Who would you rather have there, Rodriguez or Thomas? I would remember we did trade just for Josh Sweat. So we do get, we do have an edge rusher.

[Landon McCool]

Right. So, so we don't necessarily need to draft him. I, I guess Rodriguez at this point because of, yeah, the positional need that you're looking at and I think great player.

[Marcus Moser]

And we also heard from Clarence Hill this week that the Cowboys do like Jacob Rodriguez quite a bit. Enough to maybe draft him at 20. We'll see. But let's see what the Cowboys can do here at safety later on on day two. 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, upsets. It's non stop action from tip to final countdown. And right now FanDuel is giving new customers a way to stay in on the action all tournament long. And here's the best part. You get 300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. That means 10 chances to stay involved throughout the entire tournament. You can 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 as the bracket unfolds. So visit FanDuel.com to sign up today. That is FanDuel.com to get in on the action. 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 Robin Hood Prediction Markets. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. You can buy or sell your positions all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robin Hood Prediction Markets changes the game. It's people moving the action so. 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 and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood Derivatives llc, a registered future commission merchant and swap firm. Welcome back to the Lock on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. All right, pretty good mock draft we got going for us right now. Mons Delane at pick 12. We traded from 20 to 34 to pick up Josh Sweat. We also drafted Jacob Rodriguez. You addressed your edge need, your cornerback need and linebacker need. That is three starters. You still have picks 92 and 112. Before we start this simulator again, is there any safety for you on day two that you think kind of stands out after Emmanuel McNeil, Warren, Dylan Thieman that you would be willing to go up and get, or would you just stay pat and see who's available at 92?

[Landon McCool]

I. I think you stay pat and, and I honestly think that you have to be open to taking your best player available here as well and not necessarily reaching for safety because I think at this point they're all going to be kind of very specific types of safeties. So if, if you're okay with, you know, the talent level here, you're probably going to be okay with it, honestly, in the fourth round as well. So if someone really, really steps out to you when we get to 94, then maybe you choose that. But otherwise, yeah, I mean, look, it's a pretty decent class. I mean, I, I like Bud Clark. We've talked about him a lot. I think, you know, we've, we've talked about Zachy Wheatley a lot as well. I think, you know, he's a bigger guy that's more of a single safety, high type, will play the ball. I think Bud Clark has a ton of production on the ball. I think Genesis Smith also has production on the ball, but he doesn't want to play tackle football, you know, and so I, I think all. If you look, see, it's just kind of like they're all very similarly graded. So.

[Marcus Moser]

So if you didn't want to drive to safety, there's, there's other players available. Dante Corleone, who is one of the better nose tackle prospects in this draft. Caleb Proctor, who was really productive against lsu, I believe it was last year. If you wanted to draft another linebacker, you've got Bryce Betcher. I confirmed that Bryce Betcher from Oregon is someone there. K Shine Elliott, Deontay Lawson. If you wanted to double up on corner cornerbacks, I'll give you the best cornerbacks available. Dalen Everett, somebody that we talked about. Malik Muhammad, another corner that we talked about. I mean, you could just throw two picks at the position with the idea that we want a bunch of numbers there. I would totally understand that as well.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think I might, I might look at Corleone, just add to that depth of that front. You know, just get a guy that could be a little, little plugger in the middle of the defense just to have another body there really would be extremely helpful. And, and again, you're just trying to build with players there. We, we can't forget running back at some point too, just because that's going to be a need. So.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, so real quick here at pick 112, we'll get this over with. EMT, Johnson's available. Nichol Singleton. Seth McGowan, levy on Moss.

[Landon McCool]

Jade, give me him at Johnson. Give me Emma Johnson.

[Marcus Moser]

Okay, yeah, now I will. I just want to go over to safeties really quickly because Bud Clark is still available at 112.

[Landon McCool]

You know what? Honestly? Yeah. What we could do is wait on running back, get Bud Clark now, and then see if Singleton is still available a little bit later and he could be like a receiving bag for us.

[Marcus Moser]

There you go. So that's, that's the way that the first four rounds of this mock draft played out for the Cowboys. And this is the problem that I'm having with every mock that I do is I honestly like the ones that I wait on safety better. Monsor Delane Josh Sweat, Jacob Rodriguez, Dante Corleone and Bud Clark. That is five defensive players that you have added in one draft. Landon that I feel like at least three of them are day one starters and the other two are guys that are rotating in at least as rookies. I don't want to say that the Cowboys defense has all their issues solved, but I feel, I feel pretty good about that unit.

[Landon McCool]

That'd be a really good first step, you know, I mean, again, it's all about getting talent. You got a lot of different bodies to play, spread out a lot of different positions. I think that's a great first step for a Christian Parker defense.

[Marcus Moser]

Stephen Jones, call us. We'll help you run the draft. It's not a problem at all. All right, 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 everyday club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to lockon cowboys supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24. 7 national 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 back here tomorrow. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With usaa, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a'@usaa.com bundle restrictions apply.