2026 Cowboys Draft Chatter Thread

Cowboysrock55 said:
I have way more faith in Howell being an above average starter than Faulk. Faulk looks more like the defensive version of Guyton to me. Size, athletic traits but raw as hell and looks like he has no idea what he is doing most of the time. Maybe he develops, but if he doesn't he is no better than guys you can find in the fourth or fifth round.

But if our coaches can teach this guy and develop real skills, I also think he could be a really good 3-4 DE.
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He's raw as an edge rusher but probably one of the best run defending edges to come out in a while, so in that sense I consider him high floor.

Guyton can't really hang his hat on anything, I'm not worried about that with Faulk.
 
Simpleton said:
He's raw as an edge rusher but probably one of the best run defending edges to come out in a while, so in that sense I consider him high floor.
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He is long, and he uses that length and athleticism well to extend and two gap. Which is basically what makes him a good run defender. So yeah, I guess he has a high floor in the sense that Otito could start games. But if that's the floor I don't consider that high.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
He is long, and he uses that length and athleticism well to extend and two gap. Which is basically what makes him a good run defender. So yeah, I guess he has a high floor in the sense that Otito could start games. But if that's the floor I don't consider that high.
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Context matters in these situations too.

A guy like Howell basically did nothing until year 3 at Bowling Green, which is the same point in time that Faulk is at now, while Faulk was extremely productive as a true sophomore (to the point of being considered a possible top 5 pick) before a statistically underwhelming junior year on a topsy turvy team.

Then Howell spent two more years at Texas A&M surrounded by very good talent on very good teams that often had leads, as opposed to 2025 Auburn who could barely win games despite the defense holding teams to about 20 consistently.

It's all a subjective calculation, and Howell definitely projects as the better pure speed rusher, but there's lots of moving parts with all the movement and extended careers in college football these days.
 
On a separate but related note, I want to hear who people have in mind if the top 6 defensive guys are gone and we can't move down, which is a very realistic scenario with how FA and trades have gone.

Let's say the top 11 are Mendoza, Love, Tate, Mauigoa, Freeling plus the top 6 defensive prospects.

Who are the top possibilities in that scenario?
 
Simpleton said:
On a separate but related note, I want to hear who people have in mind if the top 6 defensive guys are gone and we can't move down, which is a very realistic scenario with how FA and trades have gone.

Let's say the top 11 are Mendoza, Love, Tate, Mauigoa, Freeling plus the top 6 defensive prospects.

Who are the top possibilities in that scenario?
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Touch call, but I would probably go Cole Wisniewski.
 
Simpleton said:
On a separate but related note, I want to hear who people have in mind if the top 6 defensive guys are gone and we can't move down, which is a very realistic scenario with how FA and trades have gone.

Let's say the top 11 are Mendoza, Love, Tate, Mauigoa, Freeling plus the top 6 defensive prospects.

Who are the top possibilities in that scenario?
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Unfortunately I think that's a real possibility.
 
Simpleton said:
On a separate but related note, I want to hear who people have in mind if the top 6 defensive guys are gone and we can't move down, which is a very realistic scenario with how FA and trades have gone.

Let's say the top 11 are Mendoza, Love, Tate, Mauigoa, Freeling plus the top 6 defensive prospects.

Who are the top possibilities in that scenario?
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Sadiq.
 
Simpleton said:
Yep, trade down is obviously the ideal scenario but that's not always a possibility.
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It's true and then it becomes need vs BPA to me. BPA is almost certainly offense in your scenario. Love, Mauigoa and Jordan Tyson would all likely be the best players available at 12 if you can't trade down and all the top defenders are gone. So do you take an elite level offensive player, or do you take a non elite defensive player.

I'm really not sure what I'd do. I think it's unlikely that both all of the defensive guys I like are gone by 12 and no one is willing to trade up. But it certainly isn't impossible. Do you consider someone like Kayden McDonald who is one wide bodied MFer and allows you to put Clark and WIilliams at DE in the 3 man front? Do you consider Peter Woods as a legit 3-4 DE prospect?

Truth is Thieneman might be my top defensive choice left at that point? And I don't think he makes it to 20. Also I think there is seperation between him and the next best safety. Maybe I just draft him knowing that we have room for one more DB and I don't care if it's a corner or a safety because Durant and Thompson allow me the ability to play them at the different corner spots.

And I like Thieneman better than Avieon Terrell, Cisse and Hood.
 
I think Thieneman might be my top guy in that scenario as well.

He can operate like a DeJean under Parker's scheme, while also being capable of playing as a traditional single high or 2-deep safety if we shift schemes in two years.
 
By the way, since you brought up Howell. There is just something that is so explosive and fun to watch about him. It's a hair on fire type play style. The I'll run around you, I'll chase you down and I can bullrush you. I really like this guy. I know short arms and all. But if he had longer arms I'd probably be ok taking him at 12 too. He really is the second most fun pass rusher in this draft to watch behind only Bailey. And I really like Bain, but he isn't as fun to watch.

 
Cowboysrock55 said:
By the way, since you brought up Howell. There is just something that is so explosive and fun to watch about him. It's a hair on fire type play style. The I'll run around you, I'll chase you down and I can bullrush you. I really like this guy. I know short arms and all. But if he had longer arms I'd probably be ok taking him at 12 too. He really is the second most fun pass rusher in this draft to watch behind only Bailey. And I really like Bain, but he isn't as fun to watch.

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Impressive. He does play with a lot of energy.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
By the way, since you brought up Howell. There is just something that is so explosive and fun to watch about him. It's a hair on fire type play style. The I'll run around you, I'll chase you down and I can bullrush you. I really like this guy. I know short arms and all. But if he had longer arms I'd probably be ok taking him at 12 too. He really is the second most fun pass rusher in this draft to watch behind only Bailey. And I really like Bain, but he isn't as fun to watch.

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He's definitely in the conversation at 20, the arms are just such an outlier though combined with average height/weight.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
I have way more faith in Howell being an above average starter than Faulk. Faulk looks more like the defensive version of Guyton to me.
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Guyton's problem is I don't think he wants to play that much. Hopefully our team of geniuses would do their homework on Faulk's personality, temperament, etc. and not make that same mistake again just a couple of years later.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Guyton's problem is I don't think he wants to play that much. Hopefully our team of geniuses would do their homework on Faulk's personality, temperament, etc. and not make that same mistake again just a couple of years later.
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I don't know about that. But it could be a toughness thing. Everyone gets hurt. Some guys play through it and others sit out. We all knew those guys all the way back in high school or peewee football.

Guytons problem is he misses too much time on the field. I think he is serviceable to a good starter in the field. But it's hard to develop while sitting in the injury tent.

But there is a whole personality and mental component we don't really get to know about players that does play a big role in teams drafting. It's like Anthony Hill. He never gets mentioned as a first round LBer. He is big, he is athletic he looks great playing. But I suspect maybe he just isn't the green dot kind of guy and that's why he isn't above CJ Allen for example.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
I don't know about that. But it could be a toughness thing. Everyone gets hurt. Some guys play through it and others sit out. We all knew those guys all the way back in high school or peewee football.
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To me, we pretty much already know this about Guyton. Three years in a row going back to OU he was either benched for mysterious reasons or didn't come back from injury the way he should have.

I guess it could all be just bad luck, but the odds would have to be pretty long against it being that.
 
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