The Dallas Cowboys have some pretty obvious needs heading into the 2026 NFL draft, therefore it should come as no surprise many draft forecasts have Dallas addressing said needs right away in the first round. While a case can be made an edge pass rusher is the most important need remaining on the Cowboys, off-ball linebacker is a position that looks the most problematic on today’s depth chart.
Unless trade options are explored at some point this offseason, linebacker is an unavoidable target for the Cowboys on Day 1 of the draft. With Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles expected to be long gone by pick No. 12, the Cowboys will either have to massively reach with their first pick or wait until their second pick rolls around at No. 20.
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The primary target the Cowboys have been linked to at 20 has been none other than Georgia standout linebacker C.J. Allen. Allen has frequently been linked to Dallas throughout the draft process, even making an occasional appearance at 12 on some of the more absurd early prognostications.
After skipping the 40-yard dash and various athletic testing at the NFL Combine and his pro day, many have called into question his ability to make the NFL leap. Allen possesses all the right traits in heart and mind, but his athletic ability and overall health wave multiple red flags.
Dalton Wasserman at Pro Football Focus even included Allen in his list of nine buyer-beware prospects in the 2026 NFL draft. After praising Allen for his reliable run stopping over the past two seasons, Wasserman points out Allen’s shakiness in coverage, size concerns and lack of range.
It’s safe to say in any NFL defense, coverage concerns are a problem given the passing nature of the league and this goes double for a Christian Parker defense that values versatility from its personnel packages. Finding a linebacker who can actually execute run fits with reliability would be nice, but not if it comes at the cost of getting targeted in coverage play after play.
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Allen, a player who ranks No. 36 on The Athletic’s consensus board, might be too rich for the first round. If the coverage and athletic concerns are real, he may simply be a poor fit for Dallas altogether. At a time when many of the various mock drafts across the land are linking the Cowboys to Allen at 20, it’s important to point out this player is not without significant risk and it may be a bad match all the way through.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Georgia LB Allen, often linked to Cowboys, named buyer beware prospect