Cowboys, Chiefs Make Trade in Peter Schrager's New NFL Mock Draft, Projected Selections Revealed

ESPN's Peter Schrager predicted in his latest 2026 NFL mock draft that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will make a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to get up into the top 10 picks.

The Chiefs are currently heading into Thursday's opening day of the draft with the No. 9 selection.

Schrager predicts that the Cowboys will trade the No. 12 and No. 20 picks in exchange for No. 9 and No. 29, then use that top-ten selection on cornerback Mansoor Delane out of LSU.

In Schrager's mock, some of the best defenders in the draft in Texas Tech's David Bailey as well as Ohio State's Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs were already off the board at No. 9.

"Dallas has to get one of the top defensive prospects. It's a necessity," Schrager wrote. "But there's no guarantee any of them — Downs, Delane, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. et al — will still be there at No. 12. This is a chance to guarantee getting one of them and still have another first-round pick."

Delane spent three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to LSU ahead of his 2025 senior season. He finished the campaign having recorded 45 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed in 11 games.

He is heading into the draft ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 1 cornerback available on Bleacher Report's 2026 big board.

B/R NFL scout Daniel Harms described Delane as a "sticky, man-cover corner who presents a physical presence on the outside" and "doesn't back down to bigger, ball-winning wide receivers."

"Reactive athleticism paired with a great ability to read receivers and route combinations. It allows him to break quickly and disrupt the catchpoint," Harms wrote about Delane.

Jones expressed regret after the 2025 season about losing cornerback Jourdan Lewis to free agency.

"The number one thing was we thought — when we lost our nickel last year — we could [get DaRon Bland] in and out, and get him going back and forth," Jones said in January, per Cowboys reporter Patrik Walker. "He wasn't quite as suited to getting inside and being a nickel as we thought he would be."

That could make Delane an even more intriguing prospect for the Cowboys after he told scouts at the NFL scouting combine he had experience at nickel.

"That's one of my greatest attributes: I'm very scheme versatile," Delane said in February, per C. Isaiah Smalls II of the Miami Herald. "You can fit me in any scheme and I'll excel at it."

The Cowboys are heading into 2026 with a cornerback depth chart led by Bland and Shavon Revel, who earned the lowest PFF grade out of 114 qualified NFL cornerbacks while appearing in seven games of his rookie season.

Jones could hope bringing in a top cornerback will help stabilize his team's secondary ahead of the 2026 season. In that case, he could take advantage of the Cowboys holding two first-round picks in order to trade up high enough to ensure he lands Delane.