NFC East

Dallas Cowboys NFL Draft Profile

How the Cowboys draft: the front office running the board, the needs shaping the next class, and every draft class we cover.

Compiled by the NFL Mock Draft Simulator research desk · Front office: Jerry Jones (GM), Brian Schottenheimer (HC)

Front office and philosophy

General manager: Jerry Jones  ·  Head coach: Brian Schottenheimer

The unique Cowboys model: Jerry Jones functions as de facto GM, making final calls on all picks. Schottenheimer's traditional West Coast offense values precision route runners and a capable OL. Jones tends to draft for star power and marketability alongside talent.

Jerry Jones has a fondness for high-upside, high-profile players regardless of need, often taking the highest-rated player at a glamour position. He heavily recruits from the SEC and Big 12, particularly Texas programs. Schottenheimer's system will push for reliable offensive contributors, but Jones ultimately controls the board.

These tendencies are encoded directly into the simulator: when you run a mock and the Cowboys are on the clock, the engine applies this regime's positional biases and its balance between best-player-available and need-based drafting. See how the simulator works for the full methodology.

Inside the simulator, this regime leans toward drafting for need, at roughly 55 to 45 against best player available, and is more likely to move up the board than back down it (25 against 20). Its clearest positional preferences are linebacker, wide receiver, edge rusher, which the engine applies on top of the needs list above. It also weights testing numbers more heavily than most, so athletic outliers rise on its board.

Current draft needs

Our needs assessment for the Cowboys entering the 2027 draft cycle, ordered by priority. These weightings are what the simulator uses when it evaluates this team's board.

Team needs were researched for this class from current rosters. They predate free agency and will be revised after March 2027.

A needs list is a judgement, not a fact, so it is worth saying how this one is built. We read the current depth chart rather than last season's production: a position counts as a need when the projected starter is a stopgap, is out of contract, or is the reason a unit underperformed, and it stops counting when the roster has an answer even if that answer is unspectacular. Contract structure matters as much as talent, which is why a position can appear here a full year before it looks like a problem on the field.

The 2027 class

The 2027 draft has not been held. On the projected order the Cowboys hold 4 picks, opening at No. 25. 2 came from other teams. 5 of their own have been traded away. The needs shaping that class are edge rusher, offensive tackle, cornerback.

The full 2027 Dallas Cowboys outlook breaks down every projected pick, the weighting behind each need, and which prospects are currently projected into the range where they pick.

Draft classes

Division rivals

View all 32 franchises →