Jan. 29, 2026, 6:53 p.m. CT

While the top two teams in the NFL prepare for the Super Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys and 29 other squads are firmly fixated on talent acquisition. From coaching staff to free agency to the 2026 NFL draft, the Cowboys are treasure hunting.

Midway through Senior Bowl week, some draft hopefuls are standing out amongst their peers. The hope for Cowboys fans is that some of these standouts are at positions of need for Dallas. The Cowboys need to add players at linebacker, defensive end, safety, offensive tackle and cornerback, just to name a few. As luck would have it, some of those players are indeed flashing in practice.

Early standout reports have highlighted the defensive ends who have been jumping off the screen. The one’s mentioned here at Cowboys Wire have continued their strong play and should firmly be on Dallas’ radar this April. Today we look at three more.  

SAF Bud Clark, TCU

Bud Clark has been turning heads here at the midpoint. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety from TCU was an intriguing prospect from the start. Over the past two seasons, he’s scored the third best film grade in the country. Despite a diminutive stature, Clark has been showing up as a run defender in the box, putting to bed some size concerns about his jump to the NFL.

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Clark has been making plays on the ball in coverage and filling gaps against the run, proving to be a do-it-all defensive back. In 2023 he played 393 snaps in the slot, but over the last two seasons he’s mixed it up evenly between slot, box and deep.

Clark is the ideal candidate to replace free agent Donovan Wilson for the Cowboys because he can be moved everywhere including a nickel role. Clark is rocketing up draft boards and should move into the top 100 (currently a consensus rank of 185)

LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

Jacob Rodriguez has proven he’s every bit as advertised. The Tech standout has been everywhere on the field, picking off balls in coverage and punching out balls in the open field. In this extremely deep LB class, Rodriguez is a star.

Physical traits stand to hold him back on draft boards, but the kid is a mental giant who just makes plays. Rodriguez has set the bar at the LB position scoring the highest PFF score all time amongst Power-4 LB prospects. Given he’ll probably be a Day 2 pick, he’s going to be a steal for someone this year.   

CB Malik Mohammad, Texas

At just under 6-foot and weighing 183 pounds, Malik Mohammad isn’t the typical tall CB the Cowboys are attracted to but he’s making it up in tenacity and stickiness at the Senior Bowl. Quick and fluid, Muhammad has shown he can stay with any build, both outside and inside.

The Cowboys are in the market for a new CB with inside ability. They felt the loss of Jourdan Lewis immensely and this prospect appears to be a great replacement option.

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