Cowboys predicted to make 4-piece trade with Chiefs during NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There's been speculation for weeks that the Dallas Cowboys are a logical team to make a trade during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the first round on deck, ESPN's Peter Schrager has jumped on board that bandwagon.
The NFL insider wrote in a new mock draft on Wednesday that he thinks the Cowboys will swing a draft-night trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Both teams have two first-round picks, and in Schrager's trade, they'd just swap them all.
Dallas would give up 12 and 20 for the Chiefs' picks at 9 and 29.
The trade for the Cowboys is intended to move them up to ensure they get a top-notch defensive player.
"I could see this happening," Schrager writes. "After allowing 377 yards per game and letting opponents convert on third down 47.3% of the time -- ranking among the worst in the NFL in both -- Dallas has to get one of the top defensive prospects. It's a necessity. But there's no guarantee any of them -- (Caleb) Downs, (Mansoor) Delane, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. et al -- will still be there at No. 12. This is a chance to guarantee getting one of them and still have another first-round pick. Delane's coverage ability should help stop some of the big plays that doomed the Cowboys in 2025."
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Down at the 12th pick, Schrager somehow has Bain making it to the Chiefs.
"The Chiefs have done their homework on the edge rushers near the top of this class, and I could even see them trading up instead of down if Bailey or Reese slid just a little bit more," Schrager writes. "But moving back three spots (while moving up nine spots later in Round 1) and still getting a top-three edge rusher in the class? It'd be a huge win for Kansas City. Bain had 9.5 sacks last season and could slot in opposite George Karlaftis."
Certainly if it worked out with Delane to the Cowboys and Bain to the Chiefs, that'd feel like a win for both squads.
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