Dillon Thieneman #31 of the Oregon Ducks could be a Dallas Cowboys draft target
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Dillon Thieneman #31 of the Oregon Ducks could be a Dallas Cowboys draft target
It’s hard to imagine the Dallas Cowboys allowing the first round of the NFL draft to pass without addressing the biggest hole they’ve left in the middle of their defense: Linebacker. Dallas had, arguably, the worst linebackers in the NFL in 2025, as part of the worst defense in the NFL in 2025, and have done nothing to improve the situation in free agency. Unless that changes–and there’s still time for that to happen, though the pickings are slim–the Cowboys will almost certainly need to find a linebacker in the draft.
And with no second-round pick on hand, they’ll need to find a new LB with one of the two first-round picks the team has, at No. 12 or No. 20.
But a new mock draft from the most respected analytics site in pro and college football–Pro Football Focus–has the Cowboys turning away from continuing to build its front and middle and instead bulking up on the back end, with the additions of LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
Cowboys Zero in on Mansoor Delane in NFL Draft
As PFF sees it, the Cowboys won’t have the chance to draft linebacker Sonny Styles (No. 5 to the Giants) or safety Caleb Downs (No. 10 to the Bengals), who would probably be the team’s top options if available. There’s a chance they could package picks and move up, especially if Styles is their target.
But if not, Delane is someone they clearly like, and PFF has Dallas grabbing him at No. 12. The Cowboys met with him at the combine, and will bring him to The Star for a Top 30 meeting, too. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker made him bones coaching young cornerbacks, so adding another to the mix would be in his wheelhouse.
Writes PFF: “Given the Cowboys’ changes on defense, they have several viable paths here. And they could do far worse than grabbing the top cornerback in the draft class. Delane earned an 89.1 PFF grade in man coverage and allowed just 14 catches as a primary coverage defender in 2025.”
Cowboys draft target Mansoor Delane #4 of the LSU Tigers
GettyCowboys draft target Mansoor Delane #4 of the LSU Tigers
Surprise Addition at No. 20 in NFL Draft
The Cowboys’ 20th pick is more of a head-scratcher. Thieneman was one of the stars of the combine in Indianapolis last month, and the Cowboys are suckers for a good combine showing. Thieneman ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, which stunned scouts and personnel men and probably secured his spot as a first-round pick.
From PFF: “The Cowboys go back to the secondary for their second first-round pick, adding a player whose stock exploded at the NFL combine. Thieneman is more than just a great athlete, boasting a 91.1 PFF coverage grade (second best) and a 17.2% forced incompletion rate in 2025.”
Too Many Cowboys Safeties?
Adding an exciting athlete who happens to have great football instincts (six interceptions as a freshman at Purdue before he transferred to Oregon) is obviously a plus for the Cowboys, but after adding two safeties and no linebackers in free agency, it’s hard to imagine Dallas adding another safety to the mix.
The Cowboys do intend to use new safeties Jalen Thompson and PJ Locke in the slot frequently, but with Malik Hooker and possible Markquese Bell sticking around, too, you have to wonder if Thieneman is not one safety too many for Dallas.