Entering Week 6 of the 2026 season for the Dallas Cowboys feels a lot like when they were entering Week 6 of the 2025 season. Their offense is once again one of the more explosive in the NFL, but their defense is an absolute mess.
Dallas spent the offseason trying to correct their defensive issues, signing Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator and then re-tooling the roster to fit his scheme. Through five games, the Cowboys are just 2-3 and the defense is largely to blame as Parker's unit has not made any progress.
That means the 2027 offseason will also feature plenty of changes on defense, and that's the focus for Pro Football Sports Network's Alec Elijah in his latest NFL mock draft. Elijah has Dallas making its first pick at No. 21 overall, which is where they land Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam.
Round 1, Pick 21: Xavier Gilliam, DT, Tennessee
At 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds, Gilliam has the build to play on a three-man line for Dallas. As Elijah says, he's also an incredibly disruptive presence who has been flying up draft boards in recent weeks.
"The Cowboys’ defense ranks near the bottom of the league in total defense, and its struggles have been impossible to miss. Fans have grown more vocal about the unit’s issues after each loss. Fixing the problem starts up front, and Xavier Gilliam has been one of the biggest risers in the class, emerging as one of the most disruptive interior defenders in college football," Elijah wrote.
"Gilliam’s 98.7 PFN DT Impact Score leads all FBS defensive tackles. His ability to collapse the pocket and consistently make plays in the backfield has made him the driving force behind one of the nation’s top defensive lines in Knoxville. He would give Dallas a high-motor interior presence who can generate pressure without blitz help, making life easier for everyone behind him and helping restore some toughness to a defense that badly needs it."
While Gilliam has the size of a run defender, it's been his pass-rushing that has made him a star. The Penn State transfer has exploded for the Volunteers, recording 22 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles through his first six games. That's the type of production Dallas is missing on their defensive line and could make a huge difference for a defense desperate for playmakers.
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