It’s official: the Dallas Cowboys are locked into two top-20 picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Thanks to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears rallying to knock the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs, the Cowboys know where they’ll be picking in April. As they acquired the Packers’ first-round selection in the Micah Parsons trade, they’ll have the 20th overall pick in the upcoming draft, along with their own pick at No. 12.
The first 18 picks of the draft were already settled after the regular season, Dallas finishing 7-9-1. The Panthers, who entered the postseason with the worst record of any playoff team, were eliminated by the Rams on Saturday and locked into the No. 19 pick.
After Chicago’s comeback win over Green Bay, the Packers, who finished the regular season at 9-7-1, slotted into No. 20.
Cowboys
The Cowboys haven’t had two first-rounders in a draft since 2008, and those picks (Nos. 22 and 25) weren’t as high as these 2026 picks. You’d have to go back a bit further to find a first-round like that for Dallas, as in 2005 they had picks Nos. 11 and 20. It worked out pretty well for the Cowboys then: they took future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware at No. 11 and solid D-line contributor Marcus Spears at 20.
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