The Cowboys, like every team in the league, did many, many mock drafts. Never did they have one where Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb fell to them at No. 17.
“We felt like he was a top-10 player in this draft, and we’d never see him,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said, via Todd Archer of ESPN.
The Cowboys’ only pre-draft conversation with Lamb came at the Combine.
So imagine the Cowboys’ surprise when Lamb remained on the board when their turn came.
While they had bigger needs at edge rusher and cornerback, and LSU pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson was available, the Cowboys decided they couldn’t pass on Lamb.
Lamb was the best player available by a wide margin on the team’s draft board. The Cowboys had the Sooner receiver the sixth-rated overall prospect, according to owner Jerry Jones.
Jones still calls passing on receiver Randy Moss one of his biggest draft day regrets.
So the Cowboys passed on trade offers from three teams to stay put and select Lamb.
“Lamb prevailed,” Jerry Jones said, via Archer. “We just didn’t want to miss him. Those trades ultimately are supposed to add another player to be valuable, but we couldn’t trump him. He was just there. He’s a football player. He’s a playmaker. He just earned it.”