Cowboys almost ran out of time before Caleb Downs draft pick

Recently, the Dallas Cowboys participated in the 2026 NFL Draft, and among their selections was Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. Downs was widely regarded as the best defensive backfield player in this year’s draft, and the star will now hope to help turn around a Cowboys defense that was listless throughout the 2025 season.

Now, a new video from ESPN’s “The Pick Is In” has taken fans behind the scenes of the Cowboys’ war room for the draft, shedding light on the fact that the Cowboys nearly ran out of time before making the Downs selection.

(Video via Jordan Schultz on X, formerly Twitter).

The #Cowboys were running out of time when they submitted their pick for Caleb Downs.

NFL Command Center: “They better hurry up and get it in!”

Great behind-the-scenes access!

( ESPN “The Pick Is In”) pic.twitter.com/JlsgdHdjPe

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 4, 2026

Downs was selected with the number 11 overall pick in the draft, the first of two first round picks that the Cowboys made, with the other being UCF Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence at number 23.

It was a clear effort from the team’s front office to help revamp a Cowboys defense that was dreadful from start to finish last season, consistently surrendering career days to opposing quarterbacks. The Dallas defense essentially offset all of the elite play from Dak Prescott and the offense, which set team records and lit up opposing defenses throughout the year, with Prescott playing at a borderline-MVP level.

The hope for the Cowboys is that this rookie class will be able to help turn the defense into something more respectable, all while the offense doesn’t lose a step.

If these things happen, there’s a chance that Dallas could re-enter the contention mix in the NFC sooner rather than later.

In any case, the Cowboys’ full schedule for the 2026 season is slated to be released later this month.

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