Addressing a league-worst secondary, Dallas targets a ball-hawking Tennessee cornerback with significant upside in this new 2026 mock draft projection.
The Dallas Cowboys' defense was not a force to be reckoned with in 2025. In fact, in one very important category, they were the worst in the league.
"America's Team'' was dead last in the NFL in passing yards allowed, and that is something they will almost definitely look to remedy in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
They have helped themselves this week with the trade for EDGE Rashan Gary from Green By and the signing of Arizona safety Jalen Thompson. (Those two are starters. Also coming aboard as backups are Denver safety P.J. Locke and Chargers nose Otito Ogbonnia.)
Any help at cornerback yet? There was some buzz about DFW native Tariq Woolen, but he's moving from the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks to Philly.
So ... on to the NFL Draft?
In a recent mock by PFF's Max Chadwick in the middle of the free agency madness, he has the Cowboys doing exactly that. With the 12th pick in his mock draft, he has Dallas selecting cornerback Jermod McCoy out of the University of Tennessee.
"The Cowboys’ 30.9 team PFF coverage grade in 2025 wasn’t just the worst in the league; it was the worst of any team over the past five seasons," Chadwick writes. "McCoy still hasn’t taken the field since suffering a torn ACL last January, but he posted an 89.6 PFF coverage grade as a sophomore in 2024 (ninth in the FBS)."
While drafting a player with a significant knee injury like McCoy suffered might be a bit scary, he has had plenty of time to recover. If his 2024 season is any indication of what he could do in the league, he might draw interest from several teams.
He showed he could bring down ball-carriers at the corner position with 44 total tackles, but it was his ball-hawk skills that were really impressive. McCoy racked up nine passes defended and four interceptions, which he was able to take back for a combined 71 yards.
For the Cowboys, a player like McCoy could be an ideal fit in a defense that has long relied on aggressive coverage and playmaking defensive backs. Dallas has historically prioritized defenders who can create turnovers and swing momentum, and McCoy’s ball-hawking ability fits that identity.
If McCoy returns to full health, the Cowboys could be landing a player with legitimate CB1 potential. With the NFL continuing to emphasize explosive passing offenses, having a lockdown corner has never been more valuable. Adding a talent like McCoy would give Dallas a young building block in the secondary and help strengthen the defense for years to come.