Give the Dallas Cowboys some credit because they do not get much these days — and deservedly so
When they had an opportunity to draft one of the three players they coveted in the 2026 NFL draft, the Cowboys made an aggressive move to make it happen.
Then the Cowboys traded the 20th pick to Philadelphia for No. 23 and two fourth-round picks (Picks 114 and 137).
Dallas drafted Central Florida defensive end Malachi Lawrence with the 23rd pick. The 6-3, 243-pound defensive end had 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a senior. He never had more than 7.5 sacks in his four-year career.
He ran 4.52 in the 40-yard dash, and his speed off the edge and athleticism are what attracted Dallas. He is considered a player with tremendous upside.
Downs, according to many draft experts, is the draft’s safest player. Some teams reportedly had him ranked as the No. 1 player on their draft boards.
He fell to Dallas because he has average size (6-0, 207 pounds) and plays a position that NFL teams do not value. The NFL values perimeter players like receivers, cornerbacks, left tackles, and pass-rushers because that is where the game’s biggest plays typically occur.
Downs fits perfectly into first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s defensive scheme.
He can play the slot and cover, or he can be an eighth defender and tackle in run support. He will also direct the defense and ensure everyone is properly lined up.
Downs is a versatile player whom Parker can deploy all over the field. This is how Parker described the nickel in his scheme.
“That guy, you know, he’s a corner sometimes, he is safety sometimes, he’s a backer sometimes,” Parker said. “He’s a defensive end when he’s blitzing. You want to have a guy who has natural instincts and ability to feel the game and play football.
“He’s usually a guy who if you were playing football on a Saturday afternoon, the neighborhood, he’s your first-round draft pick. Just because he feels the game naturally.”
That is literally how former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Ohio State coach Ryan Day have described Downs.
Critics knocked his athleticism — he did not do any testing at the NFL Scouting Combine or Ohio State’s Pro Day — but he was a playmaker at Ohio State and Alabama.
Downs was the SEC’s Freshman of the Year at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State after Nick Saban retired. He later won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back, helped Ohio State win a national championship in 2024, and anchored a historic defense in 2025.
Ohio State had the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense (9.3 points) and led the nation in rushing defense (89.4 yards per game) and passing defense (129.7 yards). Downs had 68 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 2025.
The Cowboys will plug Downs and Lawrence into one of the NFL’s worst defenses.
Dallas still needs a linebacker, but getting Downs made Day 1 of the draft a success.
