The Cowboys have their eyes on a lot of defensive players at No. 12, but Daniel Jeremiah just dropped some knowledge that is thought-provoking
The Dallas Cowboys have been linked with just about every defensive player in the NFL Draft, as Brian Schottenheimer's team is in desperate need of reinforcements.
The big-ticket items are Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Mansoor Delane, Rueben Bain Jr., and David Bailey.
Some see that group as the top-tier talent, and the Cowboys would most likely need to trade up to be sure to get one of those players.
In truth, any one of those could help transform the defense, and given Dallas has two first-round picks, if it did want to trade up, it's got the ammunition to do so.
That takes care of the media darlings that the Cowboys could go after.
But there is now another name that requires attention, and it is because of NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah that this player is on the radar for Dallas at No. 12.
And that's Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
But why? Well, as it turns out, Tosh Lupoi was Oregon's defensive coordinator from 2022 through to 2025, so he knows Thieneman well, and Tosh also has ties to Derrick Ansley, a current Cowboys coach.
"The Cowboys have a glaring need in the secondary and its safety position," Jeremiah said on the Joe Klatt show. "I think Thieneman could be the 12th pick in the draft. Tosh Lupoi loves Thieneman, along his journey, he was at Alabama, he was there from 2014 all the way to 2018, he was the co-DC in 2017.
"You know who was coaching in that secondary? It was Derrick Ansley. You know who coaches DBs for the Dallas Cowboys right now? Derrick Ansley. That's why I've been saying Thieneman could be the 12th pick in the draft."
So if we put two and two together, Thieneman could be on Dallas' radar because Ansley worked closely with Lupoi, and he could easily be in Ansley's ear about safety.
So that is rather neat for Jeremiah to follow those breadcrumbs.
However, at the time of writing, Thieneman hasn't had a top 30 visit with the Cowboys, and while that doesn't mean the franchise is out on him, it might mean he isn't high on the list.
Still, Thieneman has been linked to the Cowboys recently, and now that Jeremiah has put the links to Tupoi, Ansley, and Thieneman, it might be worth watching this potential selection a little more closely.