The Dallas Cowboys should be on the hunt for a new pass rusher during the 2026 NFL Draft. Analysts love pairing the Cowboys with Micah Parsons replacements and for good reason. But one ESPN analyst has the Cowboys going to great lengths to add talent at the position in his latest mock draft.
ESPN released a new mock draft on Thursday with contributions from four different analysts. Field Yates made both picks for the Cowboys and decided to go edge rusher twice in a row.
Yates started by giving the Cowboys Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the 12th overall pick.
“The mission to fix the Cowboys' defense should start with the addition of Bain,” Yates wrote. “The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has hands of destruction that will travel to the NFL, and he had 9.5 sacks last season for the Hurricanes.”
Yates doubled down on that idea, pairing Dallas with Missouri edge rusher Zion Young at 20th overall.
“A double dip at edge in the first round for Dallas? Why not? A dominant pass rush unlocks any defense, and this would be the Cowboys' third major investment at the position this offseason (Bain at No. 12 and the trade for Rashan Gary),” Yates added.
It is easy to understand Yates' logic with these picks. Dallas would end up with Bain, Young, Gary, and Donovan Ezeiruaku as their primary edge rushers after those two picks. That is a deep rotational brimming with young, talented players.
But picking Young at 20 might be considered a reach by many analysts. In fact, his average draft position in mock drafts is 38th overall according to NFL Mock Draft Database.
Names aside, double dipping at edge rusher should be a tempting choice for the Cowboys in the first round.
