Mel Kiper Jr. drops a draft nugget that could impact the Dallas Cowboys’ plans in the NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys are expected by multiple insiders to at least try to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft. But NFL Draft insider Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t think it will be at No. 3 overall.
The Dallas Cowboys are facing a problem.
They have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft yet no guarantee they can land a difference-making player to fix a defense in desperate need of fixing. It’s a draft with some highly promising defenders, yet picking at No. 12 may cause them to miss out on the best of them.
Hence, multiple insiders believe the Cowboys could be looking into trading up. But based on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s recent take on an NFC foe, it may be time to rule out one trade up scenario for Dallas.
Kiper Jr. doesn’t see the Cardinals trading down with the Cowboys
Kiper Jr., ESPN’s long-time NFL Draft expert, recently talked about the Arizona Cardinals on Arizona Sports. The reason why that matters to us is that recently, there was a lot of buzz on the Cowboys moving up to No. 3 overall to secure one of the top edge rushers in this year’s class.
Kiper Jr. believe that’s not happening.
“Well, that depends,” said Kiper Jr. when asked about the Cardinals trading down. “I ask people, and they’re ‘Well, not in the top five—who’s going to want to trade up there?’ So you have to have a dance partner.”
“That’s what they always say to me when I say, ‘What about Arizona trading down?,” he added. “Well, who’s going to trade up? That’s probably not going to happen.”
That’s a relevant piece of information from Kiper Jr. Perhaps the Cardinals’ market to trade down has cooled ahead of the draft despite large expectations for them to do so.
Earlier in the month, draft insider Todd McShay revealed there was some smoke to the idea of the Cowboys moving up to No. 3, which had been teased by Bruce Feldman in an intel-based mock draft for The Athletic.
While Kiper Jr. seems to be on to something, this year’s draft is one of the most unpredictable in years. Everything and anything can happen. That’s partially because of positional value being a question for many of the top prospects and the lack of clear-cut stars at positions like EDGE.
The good news is the Cowboys don’t have to trade up to No. 3 in order to move up. The Cleveland Browns at No. 6 and the New Orleans Saints at No. 8 also look like realistic trade partners.