Brian Schottenheimer
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed how free agency has set up the team's first-round 2026 NFL Draft plan.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys will have an opportunity to transform their defense in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cowboys not only hold a pick in the top half of the first round, they have a second first-round selection.
With both picks, pundits have begun to speculate this month the team could move up the draft board in a blockbuster deal. Others have proposed slide back options to acquire more draft capital.
Schottenheimer didn’t specifically discuss the possibility of a first-round trade. But the Cowboys head coach hinted at the team’s general draft strategy.
Pick the best prospect left on the board regardless of need.
“I think we did a really good job of setting ourselves up to be able to draft natural and draft pure, which is what you want to do,” Schottenheimer told Dallascowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish. “You don’t want to have to be forced to reach for a player. That’s when you make mistakes.”
As of March 25, the Cowboys own the No. 12 and 20 selections in the first round. The Cowboys also have seven picks total on Days 2 and 3.
Brian Schottenheimer Indirectly Reveals Cowboys Draft Strategy?
There’s a lot of false information and narratives in the league this time of year. It’s possible Schottenheimer’s response to Yarrish was a calculated one to help the Cowboys orchestrate a trade.
But at face value, Schottenheimer alluding to a “natural” or “pure” draft seems to indicate the Cowboys want to stay put with their first-round picks.
Dallas filling needs during March will allow them that possibility. The Cowboys added two safeties and a cornerback in free agency. They also traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary.
The remaining needs the Cowboys have, though, have caused pundits to consider the team a candidate to move around the first-round board. Pro Football Focus’s Jordan Plocher projected the Cowboys to move up to No. 3 overall to draft running back Jeremiyah Love.
SB Nation’s Blogging the Boys featured an article arguing why a trade up in the first round would make sense for Dallas. Blogging the Boys didn’t mention a specific trade or player to target. But the article argued the best defensive prospects could be gone by No. 12.
USA Today’s Cowboys Wire’s K.D. Drummond explored the scenario where the team trades back in the first round twice. That allowed the Cowboys to land a second-round pick.
While Dallas has six selections on Day 3, the team has just a third-rounder on Day 2.
Schottenheimer Indicates What Cowboys Want on Defense in NFL Draft
In a lot of mock drafts where the Cowboys stay at No. 12 and 20, Dallas has landed two defensive prospects.
Schottenheimer didn’t say where the team might go with its first-rounders. But he indicated he and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker have a clear plan.
“I think he knows exactly what he’s looking for,” Schottenheimer said of Parker. “I think that’s very evident, that has been evident from the time we sat down at the start of the interview process, is he knows exactly what he’s looking for at each spot.
“It’s not a cookie cutter league, you’re going to have guys with long arms, short arms, things like that. The vision is very clear, and I love that. The way he sees football, the way I see football is very similar.”
Based on his answers, it sounds like Schottenheimer and Parker will have several prospects at multiple positions they will consider as first-round targets. That could allow the Cowboys the opportunity to not only fill a need but find value.
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft will occur on Thursday, April 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.