The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs. They will look to regroup during the offseason, including adding reinforcements in the 2026 NFL Draft. The NFL Combine will give them an opportunity to analyze some of their top targets, but one prospect they are reportedly interested in may make that challenging.
Cowboys Draft Prospect Gives Potentially Concerning Update at the NFL Combine
The Cowboys were extremely polarizing during the 2025 season with one of the top offenses and worst defenses in the entire NFL. This suggests that they would be wise to make defensive changes, and they have already started that process by hiring Christian Parker to take over as their defensive coordinator.
He will replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired at the conclusion of the season.
Dallas can now supplement their strategy by potentially targeting defensive players in the 2026 NFL Draft. They are likely to have an eye on several prospects on that side of the football during the combine. LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane is one of their rumored interests, but Cowboys insider Todd Archer had a concerning response to whether or not he would participate in drills.
“Said he wasn’t planning on it,” reported Archer.
Said he wasn’t planning on it https://t.co/l4JXGxkOWC
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) February 26, 2026
Delane is already one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2026 class, so his apparent plan to skip some or all of the drills may be to avoid potentially hurting his draft position. It’s a strategy that top prospects sometimes use, but it can also raise concerns about what they are worried about. If they have all of the skills, one can wonder why they aren’t eager to show them off, and theoretically improve their draft stock even further.
“LSU corner Mansoor Delane has a formal meeting with the Cowboys today. Talked about his versatility playing inside and outside as a plus. Cowboys want that in Christian Parker’s scheme,” stated Archer.
LSU corner Mansoor Delane has a formal meeting with the Cowboys today. Talked about his versatility playing inside and outside as a plus. Cowboys want that in Christian Parker’s scheme. pic.twitter.com/jhs7wgqGsg
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) February 26, 2026
Dallas is apparently still interested in his elite skillset, which currently has him projected as a first-round pick, and possibly even a top-ten pick. They ranked last in PFSN’s NFL Defense Impact Rankings for last season among all 32 defenses, so improving on that side of the ball should be a priority. For comparison, they were the sixth-ranked offense.
Delane can theoretically help them to achieve their goals, but they may lose the ability to analyze some of his skills and measurements at the combine. They were obviously impressed by his tape, but it will be interesting to see if his decision to skip some of the drills impacts their potential plan to target him.
