How big a shock was it that CeeDee Lamb was still available with the 17th overall pick? The Dallas Cowboys never even did a pre-draft interview with the Alabama wideout. That’s how unlikely it was that he’d even be an option.
Nearly every mock draft on the planet had Lamb being selected within the first twelve picks, so it would have been understandable if owner Jerry Jones and coach Mike McCarthy unexpectedly found themselves in scramble mode once the Cowboys were on the clock. They had a need in the secondary, they had a need on the defensive line, and they had been flirting with several names in the super-deep wide receiver class.
But Lamb is regarded as a special athlete who was not supposed to be an option at 17. He can line up outside or in the slot, meaning the Dallas offense could find themselves in formations where Dak Prescott has the trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb all running downfield as targets.
While Lamb was certainly the best player available when the Cowboys turned in their pick, there was that moment when they consciously chose to pass up the chance to draft for need.
The euphoria from picking Lamb won’t wane until when games are played, at the earliest. They likely and hopefully will never come. However hindsight will always be 20/20 and these are the players Lamb will forever be linked to.
K’Lavon Chaisson
As the middle of the first round unfolded, Dallas’s decision seemed to come down to either Lamb or edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson out of LSU. The buzz for Chaisson had been building in the days leading up to the draft, with even the Cowboys’ franchise sack leader DeMarcus Ware raving about the “monster” prospect and going so far as saying he reminded Ware of himself.
Chaisson is a high-motor player who explodes off the ball and has a knack for corralling ball carriers with a long reach. Defense has been a deficiency in Dallas, and while new signees Aldon Smith, Dontari Poe, and Gerald McCoy are expected to help upgrade the Cowboys front four, Chaisson would have been a terrifying bookend to DeMarcus Lawrence.
Instead, Chaisson fell to Jacksonville with the 20th overall pick. He and new Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson- taken with the 9th pick- will be part of a massive rebuild for the Jaguars defense.