The Dallas Cowboys have had a massive hole on defense at edge rusher ever since trading NFL All-Pro Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the 2025 season.
They’ve tried and failed to fill that hole in a variety of ways — they used a 2nd round pick on Donovan Ezeiruaku in the 2nd round of the 2025 NFL draft, tried to trade for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, then eventually traded for Packers edge rusher and former 1st round pick Rashan Gary.
The Athletic’s latest mock draft has the Cowboys making another attempt at filling that spot by drafting 6-foot-5, 256-pound USC edge rusher Anthony Lucas in the 3rd round (No. 92 overall) of the 2026 NFL draft.
“Lucas is an edge defender with NFL size and length but a disappointing lack of collegiate production,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “His play is more gradual than twitchy. He lacks explosiveness up the field as a rusher and into first contact as a run defender. He plays with occasional flashes, but hints of hesitation in both phases prevent him from sustaining those flashes. There are physical traits and athletic ability to work with but there isn’t enough on tape to project Lucas will stick on a roster.”
Lucas started his career at Texas A&M with 1 season in 2022 before playing the last 3 seasons at USC, where he earned All-Big Ten honors in 2025 with 37 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
Anthony Lucas Called ‘Sleeper’ in 2026 NFL Draft
USA Today’s Micah Huff singled Lucas out as a possible “Sleeper” pick in the 2026 draft.
“The edge position in this draft class will be a premium for teams, and it is a deep one,” Huff wrote. “Former Trojan Anthony Lucas is a part of that class, and he is one of the potential sleepers at the position. Anthony Lucas has the size to be a game wrecker. He stands at 6 feet 5, 256 pounds. Lucas also has a seven-foot wingspan. He has the size and athletic ability teams are looking for, yet there is still some concern with his lack of production.”
Cowboys Make Edge Rusher Priority in Draft
The Cowboys are making edge rusher a priority in the 2026 draft, where they own 2 picks in the 1st round at No. 12 and No. 20 overall.
“The Cowboys opened up their draft meetings on Monday with the scouts, coaches, owner and general manager Jerry Jones, co-owner Stephen Jones, vice president of player personnel Will McClay and coach Brian Schottenheimer,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on Tuesday. “The first position discussed was edge players. Maybe this means nothing, maybe it means a little, but it seems fitting for a team in need of pass-rush help … The Cowboys made a trade last month for Rashan Gary and have Donovan Ezeiruaku, last year’s second-round pick, but they need more.”
There should be plenty of edge rushers available in the 1st round if the Cowboys want 1 — ESPN’s Peter Schrager placed 5 edge rushers in the 1st round of his mock draft released on Tuesday.
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