A total of eight Dallas Cowboys players are in Santa Clara for Pro Bowl festivities this week, so while free-agent-to-be George Pickens celebrates his first major recognition after a breakout season, team brass is back at The Star circling him as the top agenda item on the pending list of expiring contracts to address.

Also on the plate is scouting for the NFL Draft, one that figures to make a crucial impact on the pourous Dallas defense that is now led by a fresh perspective in newly-hired coordinator Christian Parker.

The former secondary coach, 34, comes over from the division foe Philadelphia Eagles, where he's most recently credited with influencing the growth of standout defensive backs Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.

That has us thinking ... might the Cowboys build a duo of cornerbacks just as Philly did with Parker at the top of the draft just two years ago?

Our friends at The Landry Hat think it's a possibility, with writer Marcus Mosher conducting a complete seven-round mock draft that features two DBs at the top to copy this strategy from the Cowboys' biggest rivals.

Last year, the Cowboys drafted lanky East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in Round 3, but he hardly got comfortable on the field as he recovered from a knee injury to start his career. The team has moved on from Trevon Diggs, so the unit's relative inexperience outside of former All-Pro DaRon Bland warrants a stab.

Dallas was also simply that bad in the secondary. There are a few obvious first-round position targets, and this is one of them. Also, Delane might simply be the best prospect available if he reaches No. 12.

Mosher finds a connection to Delane, in particular, through history with Dallas' new secondary coach, Ryan Smith, who "recruited Delane to Virginia Tech before he eventually transferred to LSU. They have a close relationship and that obviously won’t hurt his outlook for Dallas."

Delane is the latest star from a Tigers program that has regularly pumped out excellent DBs (but, er, Morris Claiborne?), so the investment has some type of pedigree backing, too.

With a place in the nickel open in the starting lineup? Building around Bland, Revel and Delane is worth getting excited about. The next move addresses the back end of the Cowboys secondary:

Mock trades are obviously much harder to predict with precision, but in some capacity the Cowboys move back slightly with their second first-round pick while also jumping into Round 2 - where they currently do not have a selection.

The Cowboys will have decisions to make on the futures of starting safeties Malik Hooker (turning 30 years old) and Donovan Wilson (turning 31). With the apparent "youth movement" brewing on coaching staff, both of these guys on the wrong side of personnel talks moving forward - both due to sub-par performances and age.

"The 2026 draft class is loaded with safety talent," Mosher analyzes, "And Thieneman would be a fantastic target at the end of Round 1. Thieneman has some similarities to Cooper DeJean, as he can play in the slot and as a true free safety."

The All-Pro DeJean offered praise to Parker for helping mold him into the versatile asset he is today with the Eagles. The same formula could be used on a promising talent like Thieneman to put Parker's expertise onto a building block of the defensive backfield of the future.

However, as our Mike Fisher often warns, the Cowboys have a tendency to not spend valuable resources - i.e. a first-round draft pick - on the safety position, rather preferring a serviceable (and cheap) player who can "hold down the fort."

Whether Parker's staff fosters a more intentional focus at that spot to rid Jerry Jones of his former ways is yet to be determined. With Jones giving head coach Brian Schottenheimer the keys to puruse Parker for DC in the first place, maybe the change in philosophy is closer than we realize.

Mosher carries on his mock draft with six more players, four of which play on defense. His Round 2 pick via Denver lands on Texas Tech star linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who would join his cowboy-hat-wearing swagger with Cowboys stud DeMarvion Overshown to create a dynamic duo in the middle.

Another cornerback is picked two selections later as the Cowboys "love to gamble on traits and [Ohio State CB Davis] Igbinosun certainly has them."

Mosher adds: "Igbinosun is a long, athletic cornerback who needs to improve his technique. But he’s just 21 years old and has a bunch of big-game experience. This is a player worth developing, and he could sit and learn for a while in the suddenly crowded secondary in Dallas."

All in all, the Cowboys' expected mission is to use their top-heavy draft assets to build a roster around Parker that he can best facilitate.

The new DC arguably has the toughest job of any in the building, so we could see him sticking with a philosophy that's worked previously - like pairing two first-round defensive backs together - in the effort to turn around the defense next season.