FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboys were one of the teams interested in pursuing Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby in a trade this offseason, but once Crosby’s moved to the Baltimore Ravens was nixed over a failed physical, Dallas claimed it wouldn’t re-enter conversations.
But that can change if Jerry Jones & Co. follow the path of one of the many mock drafts that are trying to predict the Cowboys’ moves ahead of the NFL Draft.
The Cowboys have also hinted (to me and others) that they’re not done pursuing veteran linebacker help, and we know they’ve touched base with Miami on the idea of trading for All-Pro Jordyn Brooks.
So, how about a Draft-Day Double-Pipedream!
No, wait – a Triple-Pipedream!
Equipped with two first-round picks, the Cowboys will certainly want to devote at least one to the defensive side of the ball. All of the three levels of this defense could still use high-grade reinforcements for new coordinator Christian Parker, and the draft is an obvious path that Dallas likes to build through.
The following mock, however, frames the Cowboys as a big-time buyer, with K.D. Drummond of Cowboys Wire projecting a major trade that lands Crosby in silver and blue once and for all.
Oh, and in this incredibly productive mock, Cowboys Wire predicted a second blockbuster get as well.
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Here are the details:
DAL receives: DE Maxx Crosby
LV receives: Round 1, Pick 20 & Round 3, Pick 92
But there’s more. The mock also includes Dallas trading down from its No. 12 slot with the Los Angeles Chargers, who send pick No. 22, No. 55 in the second round, and a fourth-round pick in next year’s draft.
Then, the Cowboys call the Dolphins for a deal for veteran linebacker Brooks, who we’ve pegged as a target amid the current absence at that spot on the current roster.
When it comes to the capital, that secondary move is also critical, as it ensures the Cowboys can stay at a reasonable spot in Round 1 while also re-supplying a Day 2 pick. The No. 92 pick that would be going to Las Vegas is currently the Cowboys’ only selection in the second and third rounds after it was acquired in the deal that sent Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers.
Brooks would immediately fill in as a green-dot guy after the position struggled mightily in 2025. The Texas Tech grad would be returning to his home state after leading the NFL in tackles last year for the rebuilding Dolphins.
In this media proposal, the Cowboys would give up a 2027 third-rounder.
Crosby remains a tantalizing idea … but yes, he’d have to pass the Dallas physical after having not done so in Baltimore.
But if this works? Dallas acquired former first-rounder Rashan Gary this offseason to pair with last year’s standout rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Add this to the Cowboys’ interior of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark and their strong starting foundation, the D-line would be stellar.
The rest of this mock includes Dallas picking up a versatile cornerback at No. 22 in Tennessee’s Aveion Terrell – and that’s Pipedream No. 3 … Dallas moving out of picks Nos. 12 and 20 but still landing a rookie as a rotational starter (on paper.)
Later, it’s defensive tackle Gracen Halton from Oklahoma coming here in Round 2 and another D-tackle in Southeast Lousiana’s Kaleb Proctor coming to Dallas in Round 4.
After that, Dallas gets fourth-round running back Emmett Johnson of Nebraska, fifth-round linebacker Aiden Fisher of Indiana and seventh-round linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. of LSU (who some think will go way higher than this).
The hub of the wheel of this idea, however, is rebuilding the D around Crosby at edge and Brooks at linebacker and maybe another corner at pick No. 22 to team with newcomer vets Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant to help this secondary.
There’d be a risk involved as there always is in these high-profile discussions – especially with Crosby. But if the Cowboys are truly “busting the budget’’ and “open for business’’?
This mock, executed, would be a game-changer, because with Crosby and Brooks and pick No. 22, it’s really three splashes.
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