The Dallas Cowboys did a whole lot of trading with their 2026 NFL Draft capital.
Consider that it took until the fourth round for the Cowboys to make a selection with a pick that originally belonged to them. This was the result of several trades that dated back well before the draft ever began. It is always interesting to see how these things unfold and what the long-term ramifications as teams wheel and deal all of the time in this sense.
Below you will find a listing of every draft pick spent this weekend that was ever, at any point in time, in the hands of the Cowboys. Some of these picks were obviously utilized by Dallas, but others were dealt away in following trades.
From Green Bay in the Micah Parsons trade, but dealt to Philadelphia
To N.Y. Jets in the Quinnen Williams trade, but dealt to Detroit
To San Francisco in the Dee Winters trade, but dealt to Cleveland and then dealt to Denver
Compensatory selection, but traded to Miami in the Caleb Downs trade
Compensatory selection, but traded to Miami in the Caleb Downs trade
From N.Y. Giants in the Jordan Phillips trade, but dealt to Cincinnati in the Logan Wilson trade
From Kansas City in the Peyton Hendershot trade, but dealt to Tennessee in the Solmon Thomas trade
To Buffalo in the Kaiir Elam trade, but dealt to Las Vegas and then dealt to N.Y. Jets
It should also be noted that Dallas dealt away their seventh-round pick next year in the Makai Lemon trade, but we will worry about that at a later date.
Looking at all of these picks and what happened to them is certainly fun, and it puts into context how much movement has truly happened for the team. We have implored them to be active in different capacities and this certainly suggests that they have put that into action.
Some of the picks that the Cowboys dealt away were not used on players. Such is life in the NFL.
A handful of the picks that Dallas moved were moved again a few times as listed above. Here is the story behind each of those picks and how they traveled across the league.
2. 44: As noted this pick left the Cowboys and sat in the hands of the Jets, but the Lions wanted to move up for a Michigan man. New York moved down six spots in the second round from 44 to 50 and also picked up pick 128 in the fourth round.
5. 152: Dallas sent this pick to San Francisco as the second round began, but the 49ers quickly moved it to the Browns before the round was over. Cleveland jumped up to pick 58 to select Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and also received a fifth-rounder which was 152. In return the 49ers received a third- (70) and fourth-round pick (107) from Cleveland. Interestingly though, the Browns wound up moving it, too. The Denver Broncos traded up and used the pick themselves to select Justin Joly. In exchange the Browns then picked up 170 (5th) and 182 (6th).
7. 228: The Cowboys sent Buffalo this pick for Kaiir Elam, but then it passed hands a couple of times. Chronologically the pick next went to the Las Vegas Raiders alongside cornerback Taron Johnson (Buffalo improved the pick to a sixth-rounder) before going to the Jets as a part of the Geno Smith trade earlier this offseason.
Only one original Cowboys draft pick was made by the team themselves. Props if you remember it from the mention up top. It was Drew Shelton in the fourth round. Sometimes things can get sideways like that.