NFL.com projects a stunning Cowboys draft pick. Despite glaring defensive needs, they're linked to a star receiver. Unpacking the surprising rationale behind this selection.
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have been abundantly clear regarding their plans for their first two picks in the upcoming NFl Draft.
Yes, yes, BPA and BAA and all of that.
But the plan for the Jerry Jones-led front office is to marry available talent with glaring need. And the smart bet - not the sure bet, but the smart one - screams “defense’‘ at pick No. 12 in the first round and screams “defense’‘ again with pick No. 20 later in Round 1.
But NFL.com is not hearing the screams.
The biggest offseason moves thus far have been about defense. Dallas acquired pass rusher Rashan Gary via trade from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Dallas then added pieces like safety Jalen Thompson and cornerback Cobie Durant via free agency.
But coming off a year during which the Cowboys has the NFL’s worst defense? And now, with an offseason keyed by Jones’ belief that if this team could “play a lick of defense’‘ it would be a playoff contender?
Most mock drafts smartly have had Dallas doubling up on the defensive side of the ball with those two selections.
But ...
Chad Reuter of NFL.com is projecting the Cowboys to use the No. 12 overall pick on Ohio State standout wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Wait. What?
“It’s unclear whether George Pickens will be traded or play in Dallas on the franchise tag,” Reuter writes. “If Pickens stays, adding Tate on the outside and moving CeeDee Lamb into the slot would be a beautiful setup for quarterback Dak Prescott.”
Let’s unpack this ... on three levels.
LEVEL 1 - Tate is widely expected to be a top-10 pick, so him sliding down to Dallas at No. 12 would be shocking enough - but not as shocking as the Cowboys bucking their own plan by adding another wide receiver.
LEVEL 2 - Despite so many stories like this that suggest otherwise, the Cowboys have no intention of trading Pickens. If contract talks break down in a way that leads to a Micah Parsons-level interpersonal disaster? I suppose we have to revisit that.
But that level of tumult - Pickens holding out in protest of his guaranteed $27.3 million salary for 2026 while demanding a long-term deal - won’t happen before the draft. So the timeline to connect a Pickens problem with the selection of Tate is wonky.
LEVEL 3 - While it’s true that adding Tate would allow Dallas to employ a long-term replacement in the event of an eventual goodbye to Pickens, this move does very little to make the 2026 Cowboys truly better than they were a year ago, when they finished 7-9-1.
That club’s problems didn’t come in the form of “extra receiver help.’‘ Ryan Flournoy emerged as a legit No. 3 guy and KaVontae Turpin is more that just a gimmick guy as the fourth wideout.
So, yes, for the 2026 season, the Cowboys’ drafting of the talented Tate (who during the 2025 college football season with Ohio State caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdownswould in theory mean they’d suddenly have the best wide receiver trio in the NFL.
And ... so what?
This move would make the Dallas offense slightly more explosive than it was last year ... while leaving the defense not improved enough. And as a result?
Dallas in 2026 would likely find itself reliving 2025.
I always pitch “Best Available Athlete (Player)’‘ as the best course. The beauty of picking so high this year? The Cowboys can stick with that philosophy at No. 12 while also “coincidentally’‘ filling a need because in this group of top 10 to 12 players, there are BAA’s who are just as promising as Tate ... but who play defense.
And while the pick of Tate would be “splashy’‘ and “sexy,’‘’ it truly would be a shocker for the Cowboys to find themselves in disagreement with that BAA fact.