It’s only Week 2, but the Cowboys’ draft board is already starting to take shape in a big way. Two marquee games - Ohio State at Texas and Oklahoma at Michigan - feature prospects who could be circling Dallas for years to come, and a few of them look like exactly the kind of players this front office would love to chase.
The headliner is Ohio State at Texas, the kind of matchup that puts future first-round talent under a bright spotlight. Both teams rolled in Week 1, but this one should tell a much more useful story. For Dallas, the name to know on the Buckeyes side is Jeremiah Smith.
The 6-foot-3, 223-pound junior was a force last season, putting up 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. That pushed his career numbers to 2,558 yards and 27 scores in just two years.
He’s built like a nightmare for defensive backs: big, fast, smooth through contact, and dangerous after the catch. He can separate, he can win in traffic, and he can adjust when the ball isn’t perfectly placed.
Texas will make him work for everything. The Longhorns know where he is on every snap, so this game should reveal how Smith handles coverage that’s designed specifically to take him away.
That matters because Dallas has a real long-term question at receiver. George Pickens is playing under the franchise tag, and the Cowboys have not given him a long-term contract.
Smith could eventually give Dallas another top-end target next to CeeDee Lamb and keep the passing game explosive, though he’s expected to go so early that the Cowboys might have to trade up to get him.
Texas has a potential target of its own in Colin Simmons, and he brings the kind of edge-rushing juice teams covet. Simmons already has 21 sacks, 29.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles on his college résumé. He finished 2025 with 12 sacks and earned first-team All-SEC honors.
His calling card is speed off the snap. Simmons can beat an offensive tackle before the block is even set and has the bend to turn the corner without losing balance or closing burst. Against Ohio State, he’ll be tested by an offensive line loaded with NFL-level talent, and scouts will want to see whether he can still create pressure when protection is sliding his way.
Dallas would have a clear interest there. The Cowboys added Rashan Gary to start opposite Donovan Ezeiruaku, and they also brought in rookie Malachi Lawrence, but pass rushers are never a bad problem to have. Simmons could eventually give them a younger, cheaper long-term answer on the edge while Lawrence continues to develop in his second season.
The Oklahoma-Michigan game gives Dallas another pair of names worth tracking. Michigan barely survived Western Michigan 13-12 last week, and this one features a disruptive defensive tackle and a physical running back who could fit future needs in Dallas.
Oklahoma’s David Stone is a 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior lineman with the kind of strength-quickness combo that jumps off the screen. He can anchor against double teams, but he’s also athletic enough to shoot the gap between blockers.
His hands are a weapon, too, whether he’s jolting linemen backward or clearing their grip to get to the ball. His pass-rush plan is still coming along, but his ability to squeeze the pocket from the inside can force quarterbacks off their spot.
That versatility is exactly why the Cowboys would pay attention. Stone could grow into the kind of interior force Dallas uses in its three-man front, helping against the run and pushing the pocket right in front of the quarterback. That kind of two-way impact would make him an appealing early-round target.
On the other side, Michigan’s Jordan Marshall brings a different kind of value. He ran for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025 despite playing only 11 games, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Marshall is built to run between the tackles, shows patience behind his blocks, makes his cut, and gets north fast. He’s also willing to lower his shoulder and finish runs instead of always drifting toward the sideline.
Dallas re-signed Javonte Williams, but the long-term picture at running back is still open. Jaydon Blue is gone, and Malik Davis is better suited to a supporting role, with this year set to show how well he can handle that job depending on his injury.
Marshall would give the Cowboys a physical runner who can stay on schedule and help control games. He wouldn’t need to be a full-time bell cow right away, which makes him a possible second-day pick who could start in a rotation before taking on a bigger role.
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