Cowboys Draft Night One: Defensive Studs & Top Grades

0:00On April 24, Dallas Cowboys crushed round one of the draft, snagging two defensive studs to fix their leaky union. They traded up one spot to number 11 for Caleb Downs, the Ohio State Safety. Many called the best player available, giving up two fifth round picks. Then they swapped down from number 20 to 23 with the Eagles, grabbing extra fourth rounders and took UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, a six foot four explosive pass chaser. This all stems from trading Michael Parsons earlier, leaving them with two first round shots after a brutal 2025 season where they ranked. Dead last and points allowed in passing yards given up, with just 35 sacks total. Draft experts are buzzing, with Yahoo, Fox Sports, ESPN's Mel Kuiper and Bleacher Report naming Dallas top winners of night one. They rave about Downs as a home run leader for the secondary, like a Darren Woodson type, versatile across three levels with elite smarts from Alabama and Ohio State days.

1:02Graves pour in a plus for Downs across the board from the athletic USA Today and more, calling him a steal outside the top 10. Lawrence gets solid marks too, mostly A's and B's from Bleacher Report and SB Nation for his 19.5 career sacks and athletic traits, though some like PFF and Yahoo see him as a reach needing run defense polish. Two D.C. Christian Parker must love this hall, pairing Downs' instincts with Lawrence's burst alongside Rashan Gary and Donovan Azerawaku. Add George Pickens signing his franchise tender, and Dallas heads in today too with momentum, poised to rebuild that defense for real contention. From around the league, powered by AI, this is NFL News Today.