The ripple effects in the NFL Draft have grown into a greater talking point in recent years. Shocking selections and different opinions on how a position group may be stacked have led to some fun reactions over the last few drafts. The Kansas City Chiefs are sitting in a fascinating spot for this particular draft.
Kansas City has not had a top-10 pick sans a trade up since 2013. There is a noticeable opportunity to import a new supporting cast around the team's stars. Plus, the Chiefs are still only at the tail end of the top 10 in a year where most of the top players available play non-premium positions.
There is a world where all of K.C.'s preferred options are gone before nine overall. At the same time, the Chiefs can wait on a couple of needs due to the depth of a specific position group.
But in the end, there is one team that is seeing its possible draft plans get more juicy via some draft analysts. That would be the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas is no stranger to the headlines. But when it comes to pre-draft buzz, the Cowboys have not traditionally made wild moves to switch places in the order.
Dallas ultimately holds a potential notable impact on Kansas City's draft plans. That effect could come in more ways than one.
Cowboys seen as team that could perform huge trade up the board?
Dallas holds two first-round picks, just like Kansas City. The Cowboys currently have picks 12 and 20 overall. After trading Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers, they now have an extra third-round pick to dangle as well. Before that move with the 49ers, Dallas truly lacked the ammunition that made a trade-up option possible.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic projected a huge trade up to number three overall with the Arizona Cardinals in a recent mock draft. That mock was also based on intel Feldman has gathered in the draft process. Even Bill Barnwell of ESPN formulated the idea of a charge up 10 spots to two overall in a swap with the New York Jets.
Dallas looking to get into the top 10 is certainly centered around adding an impact defender. Any of the Ohio State trio of Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese, and Caleb Downs are easy to imagine in a Cowboys uniform. Other options like David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr., targets the Chiefs are hopeful to see fall, would also boost the Dallas pass rush. The Cowboys going up for any of these defensive pieces may leave Kansas City in a spot where they are empty-handed.
Could these two become trade partners with one another?
Beyond jumping the Chiefs in the draft order, could Dallas simply swap with Kansas City? If one of those defenders slips, the Chiefs could entice the Cowboys to come up to nine and give K.C. more draft capital. This is a team that has made sense as a trade partner for Kansas City if they were to move back from nine.
At the same time, you cannot rule out the Chiefs and the Cowboys making a trade later in round one. Surrounding pick 20 of Dallas and pick 29 of Kansas City, it is not challenging to envision a swap between the two in the back end of night one.
The Cowboys may not always hold onto pieces beyond their first contract. But for all of the extension negotiation nonsense that comes with Dallas, their ability to draft and develop well is not talked about enough. They usually are comfortable waiting and letting the board fall to them. On the other hand, the Chiefs have moved around the draft order plenty under Brett Veach and Andy Reid. Do those roles slightly shift in this draft?
Chiefs, Cowboys chasing similar items in 2026 draft
There is one main reason why these two could drastically affect each other's draft plans. Kansas City and Dallas both enter one of their most crucial drafts in a while. The Chiefs want to get back to the top contender they believe themselves to be. And the Cowboys have been a fun, exciting offense. Fortifying a more complete team is necessary for Dallas going into 2026.
Ironically, both teams are likely looking to beef up parts of their defense. Chasing similar players and position groups leads to an intriguing arms race worth watching between the Chiefs and the Cowboys.