MONDAY MOCK: Should The Dallas Cowboys AVOID Round 1 Linebacker At All Costs?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys: “MONDAY MOCK: Should The Dallas Cowboys AVOID Round 1 Linebacker At All Costs?” - March 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Locked On Cowboys features hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool running a 2026 mock draft scenario for the Dallas Cowboys. The central theme: Should the Cowboys avoid drafting a linebacker in the first round, and what would happen if they did? Building on previous discussions about possible veteran linebacker trades, they explore the alternative possibilities at other positions of need – examining key pivot points, player selections, and the ripple effect of early-round draft strategy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Draft Philosophy: Avoiding Linebacker in Round 1

• The hosts agree that linebacker should not be the Cowboys' Round 1 priority, especially if a trade for a veteran is in play.
• Focus shifts to more premium positions: edge rusher, cornerback, and making the most of early capital.

Quote:
“We want to come out of this exercise with a pass rusher, with a cornerback… waiting on edge rusher, and it was rough.”
— Landon McCool (02:28)

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2. Pick 12: Cowboys Select S Caleb Downs

Situation:
Several top prospects are off the board. Notable edge rushers and cornerbacks are gone, but highly regarded safety Caleb Downs unexpectedly slips to pick 12.

Analysis:

• Marcus and Landon agree: Downs is too talented to pass up, even if not a true position of immediate need.
• They note he can play nickel/quarter and bring high impact, reinforcing the secondary.

Quote:
“Let’s take him. I mean, he could play nickel corner to me. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll squint and do what I need to put him in my defensive backfield.”
— Landon McCool (04:12)

• Both acknowledge scenarios where Downs isn’t available might justify a trade down, especially with OTs/WRs still on the board.
• Heuristics for trading down: QBs, OTs, WRs are premium trade-up targets for other clubs.

Quote:
“Usually if you get in one of those scenarios… there’s always good opportunities if you can find the right team.”
— Marcus Mosher (05:26)

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3. Pick 20: Trading Down (with Miami) & Prioritizing CB/Edge

Scenario:
Pick 20 comes up. Top WRs (Makai Lemon, Jordan Tyson) and CBs (Avion Terrell, Colton Hood) available, but with multiple needs and several desirable players left, it's a classic trade-down spot.

• Miami offers a move from 20 to 30 plus pick #75.
• Both Marcus and Landon are eager to add Day 2 capital.

Quote:
“If I could drop down 10 spots and get another top 75 pick, I would do that.”
— Marcus Mosher (10:35)

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4. Post-Trade Picks: Targeting Avion Terrell

• At pick 30, CB Avion Terrell is still available, along with talented DTs and other DBs.
• Landon advocates for Terrell, filling a major need and creating a strong, flexible secondary.

Quote:
“I would probably take Avion Terrell here… you’re filling a need now, you’re feeling really nice about what your secondary is looking like.”
— Landon McCool (10:59)

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5. Assessing Day 2 Prospects and Positional Drop-Offs (Edge/LB)

• With extra picks secured, attention shifts to remaining weaknesses—specifically, edge rusher.
• The exercise highlights how quickly edge talent disappears after the first 50-60 picks.

Discussion:

• By pick 75, top edge rushers (our Mason Thomas, Malachi Lawrence) are gone or near gone.
• This leads the hosts to reiterate that if you want an edge rusher, he needs to be an early-round priority.
• Conversely, quality linebackers are more plentiful in mid-rounds.

Quote:
“If you want an edge rusher… you’re gonna have to draft them early, probably higher than you think.”
— Marcus Mosher (12:27)

“Taking linebacker off the table makes some sense because now… maybe it opens things even at the top of the draft a little bit more.”
— Landon McCool (13:44)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Defensive Draft Sequencing:
  “Waiting into the third round [for an edge rusher] was really, really tough.”
  — Landon McCool (02:28)

• On Trading Down:
  “There’s always good opportunities if you can find the right team.”
  — Marcus Mosher (05:26)

• On Positional Value:
  “The second round really is where a lot of that nice quality [edge] talent and price… starts to fly off the board.”
  — Landon McCool (12:57)

• On Skipping Linebacker Early:
  “Removing linebacker from the equation before the draft seems to have some pretty positive benefits.”
  — Landon McCool (13:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:13 | Episode theme and setup: Mock Draft sans 1st-round LB | | 02:28 | Draft goals: Pass rusher, CB, evidence from past drafts | | 04:12 | Pick 12 options breakdown: Caleb Downs available | | 05:26 | Trade-down scenarios, OT/WR market | | 07:03 | Mid-sponsor break, strategy recap and scenario reset | | 08:39 | Pick 20: Available receivers, CBs, DEs; deciding to trade down | | 10:10 | Miami trade: Moving 20 → 30; additional Day 2 capital | | 10:49 | Pick 30: Avion Terrell, strengthening secondary | | 11:32 | Considering Day 2 needs: Edge talent is drying up | | 12:27 | Critical positional lessons: Edge vs. LB value | | 13:44 | Summing up the “avoid round 1 LB” philosophy |

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Final Takeaways

• Avoiding linebacker in the 1st round is likely optimal—not only are veteran trade options available, but the draft board supports finding value at linebacker on Day 2 or later.
• Edge rusher and cornerback are premium, thin positions: The exercise reinforces that if the Cowboys want difference-makers there, they must act quickly.
• Trade-downs work—if you’re flexible: Moving back, when well-timed, can maximize return, but there are positional cliffs (especially at edge).
• Secondary upgrade is possible: Landing both Caleb Downs and Avion Terrell in this mock frames a promising defensive future.
• Summary lesson: The Cowboys’ 2026 draft could be strongest by passing on early linebacker, aggressively targeting edge/CB, and considering trade-downs for depth.

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Interested in more Cowboys draft content and daily team coverage?
Follow Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) and Landon McCool (@McCoolBCB). New episodes and further draft analysis every weekday on Locked On Cowboys.

Transcript

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[A]

It's mock draft Monday and we're going to tell you how the Cowboys can nail the 2026 draft next.

[C]

You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked

[A]

On Podcast network your team every day. Welcome back. I am your host Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool and today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. During the tournament, FanDuel is offering 300 back in bonus bonus bets every day for 10 days. Head over to FanDuel.com to get started. Welcome back. It is a mock draft Monday here on the Lock On Cowboys podcast. And on today's show we're going to do a mock draft where we ignore the Cowboys linebacker needs early in in favor of other positions to show kind of what the draft sequencing would look like assuming the Cowboys pull off a trade for a linebacker. If you missed out on our earlier show, we talked about some linebackers that the Cowboys could be targeting in trade. So Lane, and before we get into this mock knowing that we're not going to draft a linebacker in round one, what should be the goal with picks 12 and 20?

[B]

Well, we talked about it in our previous kind of iterations of this, right that we we want to come out of this exercise with a pass rusher with the cornerback, with the linebacker. So I think pass rusher quarterback should be what we're we were we're chasing in the last one of these. We. We. We intentionally waited on edge rusher, and it was rough, you know, and I think, you know, especially considering the need there and, and the. The quality of the asset that's usually required to kind of move the needle at edge rusher. Waiting into the third round was really, really tough. So I'm interested to see if we get a little bit better results. I think this is kind of the natural sequencing that people usually land on with their 12 and 20 picks, so I'm interested to see how it plays out.

[A]

All right, so if you're watching with us on YouTube, we are using the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator, and we're gonna do the pick 12 right up here to start. So the players off the board, you have Mendoza, 1, Bane 2, Sonny Styles, 3. Jeremiah Love 4, David Bailey 5. Arvel Reese 6. Carnell Tate 7. Mansoor Delaine, a guy that we both like a lot. To the Saints at 8, Francis Moinoa. To the Chiefs at 9, Dylan Thieneman. To the Bengals at 10, Jad McCoy to the Titans at 11. And that means that Caleb Downs is available at pick 12. Now, we were talking about edge. We were talking about cornerback. Not one of those guys available. Your best edge rushers left are Aki Mezador, Keldrick, Falk, Cassius, How, TJ Parker. Your best cornerbacks left would be Avon Terrell and Colton Hood. But Landon, the way this mock draft plays out. Caleb Downs available at pick number 12.

[B]

Let's take him. I mean, I mean, he's a. He could play nickel quarter to me. As far as I'm concerned, I'll squint and do what I need to to put him into my defensive backfield.

[A]

I want to ask you this really quickly because I've done a lot of these mocks where downs will go like 10 or 11 and then McCoy will be on the board. We're going to take downs just to be clear. But in a scenario where downs is off the board and the next group of names is Spencer Fano, Monroe Freeland, Kenyan Sadiq, Makai, Lem and CJ Allen, who would you have taken here?

[B]

I would have definitely looked at a trade down at this point. Like, I think with all these tackles and the tight ends and the wide receivers on the board, you let me look at all those people looking to trade up.

[A]

Tampa Bay Chargers, Philadelphia, Buffalo, San Francisco. A lot of teams interested.

[B]

So, yeah, I mean, I think it look a lot of these times where the. You get these sort of what seems like, you know, dead ends or, or spots where it feels like everything ran out on you defensively. It always seems to provide you as a spot where you have several different tackles, several different pass cuts are still available. And those are, those are the guys that, that folks are going to come trade up for. So there's always good opportunities if you can find the right team.

[A]

And that's, I agree with you. Usually if you get in one of those scenarios, you're going to have a Makai Lemon available, you're going to have a Spencer Fano or a Monroe Freeling. And typically we know quarterbacks, offensive tackles and receivers, those are positions that teams trade up for. So in this mock we have Caleb Downs falling to the Cowboys at 12. I, I think that every day that goes by that's becoming, I don't want to say more likely, but more feasible. Right. Because safeties tend to fall. Maybe teams are going to fall in love with Dylan Thieman's athletic traits over Caleb Downs. So we're going Caleb Downs at 12. What does that mean for the Cowboys at pick 20 and 92? 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 cut down. And right now FanDuel is giving new customers a way to stay in on the action all tournament long. And, and here's the best part. You get up to $300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. This means 10 chances to stay involved throughout the entire tournament. You could mix it up however you want. Game picks, futures or even same game parlays for a chance at a bigger potential payout. 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 to sign up today. That is FanDuel.com to get in on the action.

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[B]

Okay. For me, I would still see what the. These trade options are. Right.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because I think you've got a lot of still interesting names on the board.

[A]

And so we've got one from Miami. It's a close. Yeah. One from Miami. So the trade for Miami to go from 30 to 20 would probably cost you. I bet you with how discounted these trades are going to be, would be you'd probably get back 75.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. I think I would probably. I think I probably would do that. Don't you think?

[A]

I. I would do. If I. If I could drop down 10 spots and get another top 75 pick, I would do that.

[B]

I think we should too. So let's go ahead and do that.

[A]

All right, cool.

[B]

So we.

[A]

We dropped down a couple spots. I still feel pretty good about who's going to be available.

[B]

And there we go.

[A]

Terrell, cornerback is still available if you want a defensive tackle. Caleb Banks and Peter woods are still there. Colton Hood still still available as well. Played out really well for Dallas.

[B]

Yeah. So I think for me, I would probably take Avion Terrell here. It just makes sense he's there at the top of the board. It's. You're filling a need now. You're feeling really nice about what your secondary is looking like. Overall, you've got some depth, you've got a couple different talented players and it really frees you up to kind of draft best player available here for the rest of the top 100.

[A]

And now that you got this extra pick, this is where you could start looking at linebacker if you want to grab another linebacker. So let's see who's the top guy available. And you've got Kyle Lewis. Anthony Hill Jr. Is still there.

[B]

Deontay, what edges do we get? Because we also still need an edge, I think.

[A]

Yep, that's the other position that's we're looking at right here. It's LT Overton, Kieron Crawford, Jean Barnum, Anthony L. It's pretty rough for edges, honestly.

[B]

So this is one of the spots where it feels like, you know, if you don't get something, if, when you're trading back, if you're not getting into the second round, then you're running out of. You're running out of edges. Right. So it's just something. This is something that we're just throwing out there that I've also noticed as well that like trading back is fine, but if you're really targeting an edge or if you really want to, you know get in that nice sweet spot of, you know, the R, Mason Thomas, Cyan Youngs, where you can still get a guy that you feel like can be a quality addition. You probably can't get out of the second round. So at this point now. Sorry, I, I actually haven't been really paying attention to what the names are yet.

[A]

But that's. That's the whole point of this exercise, honestly, and this is why we do these mock drafts, is because you can trade back, you know, and you pick up extra picks on day two. But honestly, look at. Look at these drafts. Like, once you get outside of the top 50 picks, there aren't any edge rushers there. Top 55 picks, our Mason Thomas goes 56. Malachi Lawrence goes 50. Like you. You're not going to be able to get one of these guys that pick 75 or 92. You're gonna have to draft them early, probably higher than you think.

[B]

Yeah. It's just something you keep in mind that the second round really is where a lot of that nice quality talent and price kind of really starts to fly off the board a little bit.

[A]

I mean, and look at it like this. Like, maybe we don't love the value of our Mason Thomas at 30 in this trade back, but I like. I like the cornerbacks available at pick 75 here, like David Davison, Igbanagason from Ohio State, who we like quite a bit. Our cornerback from Georgia, Dale on Everett is available. You're just. This is where we're going to stop our exercise. Like, this is. This is what we've been talking about the whole time. If you want an edge rusher or if you want, you know, a premier. Premier corner, you're gonna have to get them early, whereas I think linebackers. I think you could find those guys later.

[B]

Yeah. And again, like, I, I think. And this will. This is why I feel like, you know, taking linebacker off the table makes some sense because now you don't even. You wouldn't even need to go linebacker in those spots. So you. Receiver. Yeah, maybe. Maybe it opens things up a little bit, even at the top of the draft a little bit more. So, yeah, it's just there's lots of way to solve these problems, but removing linebacker from the equation before the draft seems to have some pretty positive benefits.

[A]

All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Lock on 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. Plus members only Discord Access and so much more. Head over to LockedOn 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 acoolbcb. I'm arcusmosier and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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