Jerry Jones
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DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 26: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on October 26, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
If we are jumping to conclusions when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and the upcoming NFL draft, let’s not be afraid to add a little bit of logic into the mix.
Here’s something that actually happened on Friday — the Cowboys were put on a list of teams bringing Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese in for a Top 30 pre-draft visit.
“Ohio State LB Arvell Reese has had Top 30 visits with theJets,Cardinals,Titans,Giants,Chiefs, andCowboys,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “(Daniel Jeremiah) hasReese as the No. 2 pick by NYJ in his latest mock draft.”
The Cowboys have 2 picks in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL draft — at No. 12 and No. 20 — and are in win-now mode. They need whoever they take in the 1st round to be as close to a sure thing as there has ever been.
Reese, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound edge rusher, is about as close as it gets to a sure thing. He’s also not going to be around at the No. 12 pick.
According to Eleven Warriors, out of 32 mock drafts, Reese was picked at No. 2 overall in 22 of them, and the lowest he dropped was to the Washington Commanders at No. 7 overall.
With the Jets firmly in lose-now mode (aka “rebuilding”) as they try to angle toward a 1st round quarterback in the 2027 NFL draft, it’s not a stretch to think a deal might be in the works for the Cowboys to swap their 2 1st round picks picks in exchange for the Jets’ No. 2 overall pick and the right to pick Reese.
Arvell Reese Could Fill Void Left by Micah Parsons
Reese, who indicated he wants to go by “Vell” instead of Arvell at the NFL scouting combine, could be the player who fills the void left by NFL All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons after owner Jerry Jones traded him to the Green Bay Packers before the 2025 season.
At the NFL scouting combine, Reese blew away everyone in attendance by running the 40-yard dash in a mind-melting 4.46 seconds.
Reese won a College Football Playoff national championship in 2024, then leveled up in 2025 when he was named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and also Consensus All-American.
Big Reason Why Reese Wants Edge Rusher Status
It’s pretty easy to understand why Reese, 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, wants to go into the NFL as an edge rusher and not an inside linebacker. That reason is money.
The highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner, is playing on a 3-year, $63 million contract which pays him approximately $21 million per year.
Parsons became the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL after he signed a 4-year, $186 million contract with the Packers following the trade — an incredible $46.5 million per year.
Not that everyone is 100 percent sold on Reese.
“To me, you don’t have any brains in the National Football League if you don’t take (Texas Tech edge rusher) David Bailey ahead of Arvell Reese if you want a pass rusher,” noted Cowboys fan and former Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless said on March 30. “I know Bailey can rush the passer. I don’t know about Arvell Reese.”