WIPEOUT: Dallas Cowboys 2026 Draft WORST-CASE Scenario Examined – Who Should They Pick at 12 and 20?

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys Podcast: 2026 Draft WORST-CASE Scenario Examined – Who Should They Pick at 12 and 20?

Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool
Date: March 25, 2026
Podcast: Locked On Cowboys – Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive into what the Dallas Cowboys could do in the 2026 NFL Draft if their most-coveted targets are gone by picks 12 and 20, including thoughtful worst-case scenario analysis, player discussions, and a news update on a recent cornerback signing.

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Overview

This episode centers on the “wipeout” or worst-case scenario for the Cowboys in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Marcus and Landon walk through what happens if all their top draft targets are gone before their picks at 12 and 20, discussing who should be considered, how positional and impact value might override conventional thinking, and why fans shouldn’t panic even if the draft board doesn’t fall favorably. The episode also includes a nuanced look at recent trends in team building and a breakdown of the latest roster addition at cornerback.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Worst-Case Draft Board (01:12–04:23)

• Marcus describes a mock in which all Cowboys’ top targets (Arvel Reese, David Bailey, Sonny Stiles, Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Love, Mansoor Delane, Francis Mauinoa, Reuben Bain, Makai Lemon) are gone by pick 12.
• Emphasizes a scenario where "all your targets are gone. The two receivers... are both off the board as well. So he doesn't even give you this premier guy to trade away" (01:36).

Key Question: Who do you pick at 12 in a “wipeout” scenario?

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2. Pick 12: Options and Logic (02:47–10:35)

Primary Candidates Discussed:

• Avion Terrell, CB (Clemson):
  • Marcus: "I have no problem taking Avion Terrell here at 12." (02:48)
  • Landon: Praises Terrell's versatility, NFL bloodlines, ball skills, and development at Clemson; notes he's likely gone by 20, so 12 isn't a reach.
    • “He makes a ton of plays on the ball. He got better every single year that he was at Clemson. He’s got the NFL bloodlines.” (04:34)
• Dylan Thieneman, Safety:
  • “Strong scheme fit with Christian Parker... supreme athlete... pretty safe pick to me.” (06:36, Landon)
• CJ Allen, LB:
  • Marcus would be “okay” taking CJ Allen at 20 as well (03:21).

Overarching Themes:

• This isn’t a draft where supreme value is guaranteed; instead, "all these players after a certain level are all kind of on the same plane" (03:02).
• The concept of “impact value” over rigid positional or draft value, given a deep but not top-heavy class (07:21).

Memorable Quote:
“Sometimes supreme value is not an option.” — Marcus (05:13)

Lesser-Tier Candidates & Risks:

• Jad McCoy, Hakeem Mezador, Keldrick Falk:
  • Landon: “Two of those guys are injured. One of those guys has a lot of developing to do. Those guys to me would be a tier down” (08:39)
  • Falk is considered to have upside but would be more suitable as a later first-round pick (09:08).

Memorable Exchange:
Landon: "Of those three names, I would prefer Falk." (09:33)
Marcus: "I don't think that's wild... The risk with Falk is that he could be bad. I guess I have a hard time believing that." (09:36)

Summing Up Pick 12:

• Terrell and Thieneman are the preferred “worst-case” selections.
• Most alternative options represent a clear drop-off.

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3. Pick 20: Expanded Options and Trade-Back Scenarios (13:21–20:37)

• Marcus and Landon see more appealing value at pick 20 compared to 12.
• “Every time I do a mock, maybe I don't love the options at 20, but there's like 10 players that if the Cowboys picked I would be like, okay, that makes sense.” (13:21, Landon)

Players Discussed as Acceptable at 20:

• CJ Allen (Georgia, LB)
• Emmanuel McNeil Warren (Safety, Toledo)
• Keldrick Falk (Edge)
• Cassius How (Edge/Defensive)
• Kaden McDonald (Nose Tackle)
• TJ Parker (Clemson, DL)
• Peter Woods (DL)
• Colton Hood (CB)
• Jacob Rodriguez (LB)
• Malachi Lawrence (Edge)
• Our Mason Thomas (on the fence)

Landon: “That’s why I like a lot of these guys, is because they're edges and corners. Right. And so it's, it's, it's easier for me to kind of justify.” (17:28)

Trading Back:

• Marcus suggests teams may want to trade into the Cowboys’ spot due to the value plateau;
• Landon: “Maybe you take 80 cents on the dollar in the trade... There's not a huge tier gap in terms of talent for me.” (14:40)

Notable Quotes:

• “In a year where... you have to understand... the draft class that we're drafting in, yeah, I would take... a majority of these guys.” — Marcus (17:28)

“It’s not the end of the world” if the Cowboys simply land two solid players rather than home-run picks.

• Landon summarizes: “Maybe it’s not the home run draft like franchise changing draft that we're hoping for, but... it’s not a bad draft either.” (18:09)

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4. Positional Value Shifts and Draft Class Context (Throughout)

• A key point: In this draft class, the perceived gap in talent between picks 8 and the third round is minimal. This levels the board and justifies "reaches" that would be questionable in other years.
• Also, the Cowboys might prefer to get "solid" over "flashy" given current roster construction.

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5. Cowboys’ Latest Cornerback Signing: Darian Kendrick (22:34–28:33)

News Segment:

• Cowboys sign Darian Kendrick (CB), formerly of the Rams and Seahawks.
• Noted for being a Georgia product and having shorter arms than typical Dallas corners.
• Marcus: “Clearly the profile here has changed. This is a guy who played with the Rams and the Seahawks... but yeah, another guy with shorter arms, which is not necessarily typically what the Cowboys have been looking for.” (23:20)
• Landon details the change in team philosophy, noting the team drafting or acquiring corners with “sub 31 inch arms” only once since 2015 before this offseason, but now signed two such players.
  • “Clearly something that he (Will McClay) does not believe in. And I'm not saying that Christian Parker likes cornerbacks with short arms, but I think he likes certain types of corners. And now I do think that opens up the Cowboys to possibly drafting a guy like Avion Terrell or Monsor Delane where I think in previous years they want to cross those guys right off their board.” (25:40)
• Both discuss the possibility that previous draft rules were as much about scheme/coaching and the dominance of cover-3 as they were about front-office preferences.
• Signing is considered a depth move, not a sign of a major shift in draft strategy, but evidence of an evolving approach.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Impact Value vs. Positional Value:
  Marcus: “I think you have to look even beyond positional value at time and realize what the impact value of your team is going to be.” (07:21)

• On Accepting the Draft Class:
  Marcus: “All these players after a certain level are all kind of on the same plane, right? All these red chip guys that you would take in the first round.” (03:02)

• Terrell as a Fallback:
  Landon (on Avion Terrell): “If the Cowboys are going to be okay with small cornerbacks, and clearly they are… he makes a lot of sense.” (04:24)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |----------|---------------------------------------------------| | 01:12 | Setting the “worst-case” scenario at pick 12 | | 02:47 | Exploring worst-case options (Avion Terrell, etc) | | 04:23 | Terrell as viable pick and small corners shift | | 06:36 | Dylan Thieneman as fallback | | 08:39 | Alternative less-desirable options (Falk, etc) | | 13:21 | Pick 20 overview and trade-down discussion | | 14:40 | Value plateau and potential trade scenarios | | 15:28 | Rapid-fire: Would you be okay with these names? | | 18:09 | Accepting “good, not franchise-changing” picks | | 22:34 | News: Cowboys sign Darian Kendrick (CB) | | 25:40 | Philosophy shift: smaller corners & draft impact | | 28:33 | Wrapping up/closing thoughts |

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Conclusion

Even in a “wipeout” draft scenario, the Locked On Cowboys hosts agree: Dallas will have solid, if not spectacular, options at picks 12 and 20. The evolving defensive scheme and willingness to consider smaller cornerbacks open up new options like Avion Terrell and Monsour Delane. Fans worried about draft value or specific needs should remember—this class is unique, there are no sure-things, and solid contributors at key defensive positions are still within reach.

Listen for detailed breakdowns, real-time reactions, and discussion of how the Cowboys’ shifting roster philosophy may impact draft day decisions.

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Transcript

[Marcus Mosher]

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

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[Landon McCool]

What if everybody is gone before pick 12? We'll tell you what the worst case scenario could be for the Cowboys 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 Locked on Cowboys podcast. I am your host, Marcus Mosher. He is Lana McCool. And on today's show, we're going to talk about the worst case scenario. The Cowboys at pick 12 and pick 20. We're also going to do a news update because the Cowboys signed yet another cornerback with short arms on Tuesday. But Landon, I want to talk to you about a question that I posed to some of our listeners on Tuesday morning because I've been doing these mock drafts like, just like we've all been doing them. And there's been a couple different times where all of the guys that we like are off the board. And in this mock draft that I did, Arvel Reese, David Bailey, Sonny Stiles, Caleb down, Caleb Downs. Excuse me. Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Love, Mansoor Delaine Francis Mauinoa, Reuben Bain and Makai Lemon were all off the board. I think for a lot of people that's like the worst case scenario for a couple reasons. Number one, all of your targets are gone. Number two, the. The two receivers, Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon, are both off the board as well. So he doesn't even give you like this premier guy to trade away from in this kind of scenario where you get wiped out at 12, who are you picking?

[Marcus Mosher]

I Mean, first of all, I, I think the pro. I don't think that this is a wipeout situation to me because I have no problem taking Avion terrell here at 12. Like, I, I think that if, you know, if you feel that's what I, that's how I feel about 12 and 20 right now is that you've got so many needs, then like, it's gonna be hard to get for them to run out of everything that you possibly could need. And, and I, I know some people will get upset and they'll say, well, you're, you're reaching here. But, but honestly, you're not. All of these players after a certain level are all kind of on the same plane, right? All these red chip guys that you would take in the first round, I think that there's, you know, once you get down to 20, you're gonna, there's some guys that you could reach beyond that kind of realm potentially that you know, that you could reach for. But I don't think it's going to be necessary because 20 is going to be an even better situation for you. You know, for me, I just think that I've run a bunch of these situations and as someone who's okay with taking Avion Terrell just like I would be okay with taking CJ Allen at 20, like, not. I would feel great about it. I would be okay with it, though. I just haven't found too many situations where I feel truly wiped out at 12. There's, there's definitely more times when I've had to, you know, just be okay with, with my pick at 12 than, than that 20. But there's been very few times where I've truly felt like, man, there's no trade back options. There's. There's no, there's no pick I'd take. I, I don't know what to do here.

[Landon McCool]

So let's go through some of the names. Because you mentioned Avion Terrell like that to me. I think you and I both like him maybe more than the consensus does, and I think we like him a lot. Because if the Cowboys are going to be okay with small cornerbacks, it clearly they are. Clearly they are. They've acquired two of the shortest ones they, they've ever acquired under Will Mlay then I think Terrell makes a lot of sense. You can play him on the outside, I think you can play him in the slot if needed. He makes a ton of plays on the ball. He got better every single year that he was at Clemson. He's got The NFL bloodlines. I mean, I could go on, on and on. And yeah, maybe you want him at 16, but the more, the closer that we get to the draft. I, I think it's a pipe dream to think he'll be there at 20 and if he's a pick at 12, maybe you're not getting supreme value, but I do think you're getting a good player.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I, I, and I, I, look, sometimes supreme value is, is not an option. I do feel like there, there is like a sentiment going around right now that if you're in this situation and man, you just gotta pick an offensive player. You just like, you gotta, I, I just don't believe that anyone outside of Jeremiah Love is a tier or even anywhere more than, you know, if you want to break it down by picks five or six picks away from any of these defensive players. So.

[Landon McCool]

Well, let's again, in this mock draft that, that I did, Jeremiah Love was gone inside the top five. So your top offensive players available are Vega, the Penn State guard. You're not taking a guard at 12 after spending two.

[Marcus Mosher]

Man, that would be wild if they did go right.

[Landon McCool]

Spencer Fano, who is probably a guard. Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

Or a center maybe.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, or center. And then the next highest one is Kenyon Siddiq. Now, of those three guys, Sadiq is the most intriguing for me, but I don't know if I want to spend another pick on a pass catcher considering all the resources they've already handed out. Which is why to me, it's Terrell. But the other name that we should mention is Dylan Thieneman, who we've liked for a long time. I think there was at one point we were hoping and praying that he would be the pick at 20. As we get further along in the process, it doesn't seem like he's going to make it that far. And at 12, I think it's the same thing as Terrell. It's not quite the positional value that you want, but I think he's a strong scheme fit with Christian Parker. He can play a lot of different roles. He has three years of production. He's a supreme athlete. It feels like a pretty safe pick to me.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean, honestly, in a lot of these drafts that I'm doing, especially on the PFF1, there's times when he's getting taken before the Cowboys even pick at 12, you know, and I, I think that that's a clear reach. But I mean, the fact is it's in the range of outcomes at this. Yeah.

[Landon McCool]

And if he does that's not necessarily a bad thing for Dallas either is that likely means that Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles is going to be available to you at 12.

[Marcus Mosher]

Monsour Delane is usually available when I, when I. When. So yeah, I mean I, I do think that like there is there, there should be choices like there, there are guys that again that you may not love at 12, but you're not gonna love taking an offensive player at 12 either, you know. So I, I think there's something to be said. Someone used the term impact value and I think that impact value is something that, that you know, especially this year when, when you have like a huge plateau of players and not a ton of blue chip players. I think you have to look even beyond positional value at time and realize what the impact value of your team is going to be. And having a number tied in to pass catcher who, you know, you have to work into the offense basically in the part of the area of field where you like to work. CD Lamb most of the time is probably not going to have the same impact as the guy who will probably walk in here as a starter at cornerback. So it's just something to consider.

[Landon McCool]

So for us, we love Terrell, we love Theta, man. We would be happy with either of Those guys at 12. How would you rank those for you personally? Just quickly before we move on here.

[Marcus Mosher]

Terrell. Is it Terrell Thienaman and who's the third person?

[Landon McCool]

Just those two. Just those two. Those are like your worst case scenarios.

[Marcus Mosher]

I think at this point it's probably Terrell Thienaman because of positional value.

[Landon McCool]

Now the other names that were mentioned again on X when I posed this question, three guys that were the most common answers. Jad McCoy, Hakeem Mezador, Keldrick, Falk. Two of those guys are injured. One of those guys has a lot of developing to do. Those guys to me would be a tear down from the. And from Terrell. And I don't know if the Cowboys would draft those guys, you know, at that spot. But I think we should at least mention them.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean look, I think Falk is a guy that if especially of those three. Right. That you could convince yourself like man, there's some upside there and maybe you could also get a high floor player that is just a useful run defender. But I totally understand not being comfortable with taking him at 12. I, I view him more as a middle to late round first round guy.

[Landon McCool]

Can I tell you something?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah.

[Landon McCool]

Of those three names, I would prefer Falk.

[Marcus Mosher]

Of those three, well I mean, I don't think that's wild. Like, I mean, like, I, I think, you know, Messador has his own set of issues that we've talked about that it's just a lot of risk. And I think the Same goes for McCoy. It's just like you're investing a lot and there's a lot of risk. You know, I think the, the, the, the risk with Falk is that he could be bad. I guess I have a hard time believing that. You know, like, I, I just think he, there's a chance he may not be great, but I think that it's more likely that he's just a not great player than he's a bad player, you know, and, and I think there's

[Landon McCool]

a chance he could be like a Dorance Armstrong level player. And is that worth the 12th pick? No, but I don't think, I don't think he's gonna wash out like Taco

[Marcus Mosher]

Charlton did in Dallas either in a year like this. Not, you know, the, the knock on you being not worthy of the 12th round pick of the 12th, of the 12th overall pick. That's a, a suitable knock on you, right? Because it's just, that's just the way the class is this year.

[Landon McCool]

Just to be clear though, those guys for me are a gap down from. And again, that is a worst case Scenari. Those defensive guys go. I think they're going to be okay. Maybe you're not going to get a top six, top seven player in the draft. That's okay. I do want to talk about pick number 20 because this is where a lot of people, we're seeing some wide variety of opinions on pick 20. We'll talk about the potential worst case scenario at that spot next. This episode is brought to you by Robin Hood. What if sports were traded like markets now? You could 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 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 that is powered by the people. You're no longer just a spectator. Play by play, you decide. Trade every play with Robin Hood. Now available across the U.S. download the Robinhood app now to begin Futures and cleared swap trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives llc, a registered futures commission, merchant and swap firm.

[Marcus Mosher]

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Yeah.

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[Landon McCool]

Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen report. Welcome back to the Laton Cowboys Podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Don't forget to check out the Everyday 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 lockedon cowboys.supercast.com all right, let's talk about pick 20 because at least for me, it just seems like there's so many more options at this pick that I feel like could be of value. And every time I do a mock, maybe I don't love the options at 20, but there's like 10 players that if the Cowboys picked I would be like, okay, that makes sense. I'm good with it.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean that's all to me, that's always been the case at 20. It's like I, I just felt like since early days when we started like, you know, creating our boards and looking at these guys, you just felt like, man, 20 is, you know, 12. We just don't know how it's going to be, how it's going to fall, it's really going to be a crapshoot. But 20 has always just felt like if, as long as you're accepting that this class really kind of plateaus from like pick, you know, 10 or eight to the round three. I, I think you felt like you get down to 20 and, and especially if you've run a bunch of these, of these mock simulators, you just feel like you've got a ton of options there. Right. Even trade down options at times. So yeah, so I, I just feel like the Cowboys are kind of in a sweet spot right now with that 20th pick. And honestly, I, I, I, I, that's why I keep thinking that the Cowboys have opportunities to trade with teams that are looking to kind of like have the Cowboys split. So if the count, like just like we talked about with a couple of exercises a few weeks ago where they would go up with Arizona or up to Cleveland and they would, you know, trade back with their 20th pick. Because I think that that is the kind of range that a lot of teams want to be picking and because that's a sweet spot for a whole bunch of value of really good players at a really nice price.

[Landon McCool]

Ultimately, I think my ideal thing is here. If they could drop down 10 spots, maybe you take 80 cents on the dollar in the trade. Maybe it's only a third round pick, maybe it's only a fourth round pick. There's just not a huge tear gap in terms of talent for me. But there is going to be, you know, for some team, there's going to be a receiver available that they love. There's going to be an offensive tackle they feel like is the last of a tier. There's going to. I promise you there's going to be trade offers. It's just whether the Cowboys want to lose a trade to pick up an extra pick. But what I wanted to do is run through some names and you just tell me if you would be okay with them at 20. Like now. I'm not saying feel great, but just would be okay for them. This is based on the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator. Let's run through it. C.J. allen, Georgia.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, like we talked about. I. I would be okay with that.

[Landon McCool]

Emmanuel McNeil Warren, safety from Toledo. Definitely a plus plus. Celtic Falk.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes. I think that's great value for Celtic folk.

[Landon McCool]

Cassius. How.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes.

[Landon McCool]

I would take Ashes again, for me, that's an A plus pick. I love Hal. I love, I love Emmanuel McNeil Warren. They dropped either of those guys. We're having a party. Kaden McDonald.

[Marcus Mosher]

Absolutely. If they can. If they can figure that out. I mean, I think he's so good that I, I think he would be an impact player on this defense. That's why I try. Whenever I get extra picks, I. I usually end up picking him. Well, I get a chance.

[Landon McCool]

And now it makes more sense that Oso Digizua is gone. Right. Like now you can have this guy beat your true nose tackle. And maybe the idea is like, long term, Kenny Clark's not on this team, like after the 2026 season. And it's McDonald and Quinn and Williams are your primary tackles and they make a lot of sense together. Let's keep going. T.J. parker from Clemson.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. I'd be okay with Parker at 20.

[Landon McCool]

Peter Woods.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, again, if we're going with. Okay, okay. Oh, I would be okay with Peter woods at 20.

[Landon McCool]

Colton Hood.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes. I'D be. I'd be okay with Colton Hood.

[Landon McCool]

Jacob Rodriguez.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes, I'd be okay with Jacob Rodriguez because I like him a lot and I think that that. Man, you don't. It's gonna take a lot for me to take draft a linebacker in the first round, but I would be okay with it.

[Landon McCool]

Malachi Lawrence.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes, I'd be okay.

[Landon McCool]

Our Mason Thomas.

[Marcus Mosher]

That's right on the border for me.

[Landon McCool]

So that's, that's the first name for me that I'm like, now there's a couple in there that I don't love. I'm like, I'll give you an example. I'm not the biggest Colton Hood fan.

[Marcus Mosher]

Sure.

[Landon McCool]

But is, is that a, is that a, like a big reach? No, I'm. You're taking a athletic cornerback who's just turned 21 years old. Like, fine, I totally get it.

[Marcus Mosher]

That's exactly how I feel too. That's why I like a lot of these guys, is because they're edges and corners. Right. And so it's, it's, it's easier for me to kind of justify. Like, yeah, they're pretty. I mean, again, in a year where, where we have to understand what, what we're. The, the draft class that we're drafting in. Yeah, I would take, like we said, a majority of these guys, especially the ones that play, you know, the money. Five positions.

[Landon McCool]

I didn't even give you the hard ones. I skipped a couple ones for you like Kayla Banks, Akeem Mezador. I mean, again, I, there's a lot of people that absolutely love aim. Isador would be fine with him at 12. I'm not in that camp. I'm not sure where you're at, but how would you feel about him at 20?

[Marcus Mosher]

At. At 20? I would take him. I would. 20. I would take him at 20.

[Landon McCool]

Okay. I think the point is that they're going to be okay. Now, is there a chance that we come out of round one and the draft is. Let's say it's Dylan Feneman and C.J. allen. Those are two good players, but not at premium positions. I think we'd feel like, okay, you got good players. Maybe it's not the home run draft like the franchise changing draft that we're hoping for, but it's. I don't think it's a bad draft either.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. I mean, again, we are looking for, we were looking for some top end talent just to kind of top off. Like they've, they've been, they've worked the middle class a little bit. We Wanted to see them kind of work the top end of the defensive roster if, you know, if they don't get that opportunity and they just get two really solid players coming out of the draft, you know, it's, it's unfortunate, but it certainly isn't the end of the world.

[Landon McCool]

Here's how I think it could be really bad for Dallas is that if they feel like, hey, we've got to take an edge at 12, and let's say it's Mazador. And again, I know there are people that like Mazador more than me. And then at 20, you feel like, hey, we've got to grab a linebacker. And C.J. allen goes to Tampa Bay at 15 because they just lost Levante. David. David. And now you're taking the third linebacker, really the fourth linebacker at pick 20 in this class. That's where it feel like, okay, you're, you're getting good players, but you're not really getting difference making players and you're having to draft the third, fourth, fifth best player out of position when you've got two top 20 picks.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I just, I have a hard time seeing the 20. The pick at 20 is going to be so good. And like I said, there's going to be so many players at my positions.

[Landon McCool]

I feel okay about that.

[Marcus Mosher]

I feel like it's not a reach like either they were Gonna really like C.J. allen and take him at 20, they'll really like him.

[Landon McCool]

What if it's like Anthony Hill?

[Marcus Mosher]

Then I, that I think it's a preference. And again, I, I, I think that I would be okay with the Cowboys obtaining Anthony hill with the 20th pick. My argument against would be, I feel like because he's specifically valuable to what the Cowboys are doing that you could get him at a discount you wouldn't need to spend the 20th overall pick on. But if that's the pick and you don't have another pick until 94 and you don't think he makes it to 94, even though I think he probably could make it to 94. You know, I, I would, I guess I would understand them, you know, a class like this, getting the player that they like.

[Landon McCool]

All right, let's talk about some news updates for the Cowboys, including a cornerback that they signed on Tuesday. We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Home Chef. As the new year gets going, a lot of people are trying to simplify the routines. And dinner is always a big one. Between busy work days, cold winter nights, and packed schedules, having an easy and reliable dinner plan makes a huge difference and that's where Home Chef comes in. Home Chef takes the stress out of cooking by delivering fresh pre portioned ingredients right to your door with easy to follow recipes that actually taste great. They're rated number one by users of other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And it's easy to see why meals come ready to fit your schedule. 30 minute recipes, oven ready trays or quick lunches. And They've got over 30 weekly options including family sized meals and different dietary choices. So for a limited time only, Home Chef is offering our listeners 50% off your first box with free shipping and free dessert for life. Just go to homechef.com lockedon that's homechef.com lockedon for 50% off your first box with free shipping and free dessert for life. You must be an active subscriber to

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[Landon McCool]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Landon. The Cowboys signed a new cornerback on Tuesday to add to the already somewhat deep cornerback room.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah.

[Landon McCool]

What can you tell us about their new signing?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, Darian Kendrick, he was, you know, he's a, this is something we should talk about. Right? He's another Georgia Bulldog. Right. And, and I it, it does feel like they are targeting these folks because this clearly is going to be a a system that's very similar to what Georgia runs. Right. So I don't think that's the only reason they signed it, but I do think that there's some symbiosis there and I'm also wondering I need to go back and watch more Rams and Shula stuff on Rams defense because I wonder if there isn't some crossover there now that we've got two of their corners. But another kind of guy, he's 6 foot 190, which is close to what the Cowboys are looking for. But yeah, another guy with shorter arms, which is not necessarily typically what the Cowboys have been looking for. Clearly the profile here has changed. This is a guy who played with the Rams and the Seahawks last year. I mean think he didn't. I think he initially got cut off. The Rams at cut down. The Seahawks picked him up. I, I watched I think all or at least half his snaps from 2025 and you know, it seems he seemed to be moving well. He got really incredible grades, a couple of games for BFF but didn't play a ton. I think he played something like 125 snaps all of last year. So I think this is just a veteran depth guy that can provide some snaps for you just in case. Well, you know, we've got a couple different guys that are shown to be a little bit injury prone. So maybe having guys like this on, on your roster probably isn't the worst idea at this point.

[Landon McCool]

He's slow and that's the reason why he's always going to be available. He is really, really slow. I think he ran a 47 something at his pro day. So you're. He's always going to be limited and he's, he's an outside cornerback but he's a zone heavy corner that generally tackles pretty well. But when you get him into these, these games where he's got to track the ball down the field, he just doesn't have the long speed. But what I think is more interesting more than anything else is that he's got 31 inch arms. Okay. And the reason why that's fascinating is that Will McClay, since joining the team in 2015 as the director of player personnel, has drafted exactly one cornerback with sub 31 inch arms. And that's Chittebayouzier in 2017. Okay. This off season he has now signed two guys with less than average arm length and Kobe Durant. And now with Kendrick, that's just unheard of for him. Like it's clearly something that he does not believe in. And I'm not saying that Christian Parker likes cornerbacks with short arms, but I think he likes certain types of corners. And now I do think that opens up the Cowboys to possibly drafting a guy like Avion Terrell or Monsor Delane where I think in previous years they want to cross those guys right off their board.

[Marcus Mosher]

I, I also, I also would submit that, you know, we've all just kind of universally attributed this to Will McClay, but maybe we shouldn't because ultimately Will McClay and the thing that we hear about what Will McClay does better than anybody else or what he even says he thinks he does better than anybody else is be A, you know, a glue between the coaching staff and the scouting department. Right. Like that's the only thing is they've

[Landon McCool]

had how many different scout, you know, defensive coaches in there?

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, is that causality or correlation? Because, because the truth is maybe, maybe they kept on hiring these defensive coordinators that match the personnel that they've had year after year after year. A year. So it's possible. I, I also think that it doesn't hurt that that that period of time also stretched over the same period of time in which cover three and cover one Silo defenses were dominant in the NFL.

[Landon McCool]

Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

So, so as we shift away from it, Maybe this is McLay evolving with his new coaching staff a little bit. And, and, and, and really the change here is that the Cowboys are truly changing their defense in a way like at least from schematically from what they've done. You know, this has really been sort of different flavors of the same sort of Ford four man, four down, you know, structure, you know, basic under fronts like cover one and cover three dominant and we're going to see a lot of that still. But maybe you just don't lean into those coverages the way that you have been previously and it doesn't require a very specialized type of cornerback anymore.

[Landon McCool]

The Kendrick signing is going to have no impact on them in the draft. I mean this is a depth signing. But what I do wonder, like, is he a guy that could potentially, potentially replace like a Kaylin Carson who is really like a man to man outside cornerback who I mean we really just haven't seen a lot of over the last two years? Maybe this is a guy that's now like your fourth cornerback, Kobe Durant. You've got Kobe Durant, you've got Duron Bland, you've got Savon Revelle and it's Kendrick fighting for that fourth cornerback spot as we go into the draft? I, I don't know.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, look, I mean here's the thing, here's the truth of the matter is, is that you don't, you're, you're still worried about adding talent to the top of this defense. And while you're trying to angle at that, I think the way you have to compensate is that man, we've also got to have the best cornerback for, into the NFL because, because you just need like, you need to find the talent somehow to cobble together to make up for the fact that you may not have it at the top end. So you're obviously hoping that Ravel develops, you're obviously hoping that Bland comes back. You hope that maybe you could draft another guy or get some more talent in the draft. But if you can't, churning that talent at the bottom of the at the roster, part of the roster that's going to make the team that you, you know, just getting more competition there is always just going to be a good thing.

[Landon McCool]

All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Locked on Cowboys your first listen every single day. If you never miss an episode, the everyday or club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to locon 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 @mccoolbcb I'm @marcus Moser and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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[Marcus Mosher]

That was actually a good workout.

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