2026 NFL Draft rumors: Cowboys pursuing defense if they trade up, latest on Aaron Rodgers
Dallas has started kicking the tires on teams inside the top 10 while the Steelers are in a predicament
It's no secret the Dallas Cowboys are in pursuit of a prized addition on defense early in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the franchise could use its two first-round selections at Nos. 11 and 20 to sweeten the pot for a potential trade. In need of an enforcer after trading away Micah Parsons prior to last season, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are reportedly kicking tires on teams willing to move back inside the top 10 to garner interest surrounding a deal.
Ian Rapoport mentioned during Friday's edition of The Insiders on NFL Network that the Cowboys are the "most likely team" to trade up from their current spots in the first round for a higher pick, before labeling Rueben Bain Jr., Akeem Mesidor and Sonny Styles as top targets. He stiff-armed claims of clickbait and said there was "real" storm to Dallas wanting to move up.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen said Tuesday his franchise has received "a couple calls" from teams "sniffing around" about trading up, but that he doesn't foresee a trade prior to next week's opening round. He did not specifically mention the Cowboys as one of the interested parties.
New York holds the No. 5 overall pick and is currently projected to stay in that spot and take former Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, per CBS Sports' latest mock.
Giants in no rush with Dexter Lawrence
New York's star defensive tackle is under contract for two more seasons and the franchise is in no rush to move him this offseason despite his recent trade request, Schoen said this week. Lawrence has not participated in the team's offseason workout program that began earlier this month and is entering the third year of a four-year, $90 million extension he signed in May 2023.
The two-time Pro Bowler offers considerable value when he's at his best, but Lawrence recorded just a half-sack last season despite playing all 17 games for the first time in his career and his 31 total tackles were also a career-low number.
While Schoen said the Giants are open to a deal, there's no timetable on a move.
"We're not putting deadlines on anything, right now, we're (having) production conversations and we'll see how it goes," Schoen said. "I'm always going to put up the phone if a team calls (and offers), maybe not to the effect that coach said last week everybody is tradable, but no, that is my job as general manager if a team calls.
"You take into account on a case by case basis and what the compensation may be. That's my job to take into consideration what that looks like, what the compensation looks like and who the player is and how that affects the roster and try to make the best decision off of that."
Delay from Aaron Rodgers may impact Steelers' draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait on Aaron Rodgers' decision ahead of the 2026 season and now, the prolonged process could spill into next week's NFL Draft and the franchise's choices near the top.
After Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen set the odds at "50-50" on Rodgers returning to the team on NFL Network's Good Morning Football, several national insiders have rooted that Pittsburgh could eye a rookie quarterback early.
"So now if the draft comes and you are the Pittsburgh Steelers, are you talking more about quarterbacks and the draft? I think you are," Adam Schefter said on Unsportsmanlike, noting that Ty Simpson could be an option for the franchise if Rodgers remains unsigned before the draft begins.
Rodgers signed a one-year, incentives-laced deal with the Steelers last summer and initially planned for the 2025 season to be his last given what had transpired the two previous years in New York. After getting to the playoffs last fall with the Steelers, Rodgers is still deciding on his decision while staying in shape and said since there's been "no deadline" put in front of him,
"Is he gonna be back? I don't know," Queen said this week. "But hell, I'll take him. Dude is a great teammate, great quarterback. We all know him, we all love him. He knows how to win. We just have to be better for him."
