No team attacked the 2026 first round more aggressively than the Dallas Cowboys, who traded up to No. 11 for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and then climbed back into the round at No. 23 for UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.
Downs is the prize. Widely regarded as the best defensive back in the class — a true center-field eraser with the range to single-handedly change a defense's coverage menu — he's the kind of player worth moving up for, because safeties of his caliber rarely reach the back half of the lottery. Dallas decided not to gamble on him sliding and went and got him.
The second move, back up to 23 for Lawrence, signals intent: the Cowboys didn't treat their first-round capital as a single swing, they treated it as ammunition. Getting a first-round-graded edge to pair with their existing rush — after already landing the draft's premier safety — is the sort of two-for-one round that defines an offseason.
The cost, of course, is future capital. Trading up twice means Dallas is light on picks down the line, a bet that the win-now value of Downs and Lawrence outweighs the draft equity surrendered. For a team built to compete immediately, it's a defensible philosophy — and an unmistakably aggressive one.
For our pick-by-pick verdicts on both Cowboys selections, see the 2026 Round 1 Grades.