Getty Oklahoma Sooners WR CeeDee Lamb.
Moving On Up was a great classic TV theme song. It just wasn’t the kind of music the Eagles were interested in making at the NFL Draft.
If the Eagles wanted to move up, there seemed to be opportunities. Wide receivers were starting to slip around pick No. 11 and San Francisco was actively shopping pick No. 13. But the Eagles chose to stay put and watch it all shake out. They watched Henry Ruggs III come off the board to Las Vegas at No. 12, then saw Jerry Jeudy go to Denver at No. 15 and CeeDee Lamb go to Dallas at No. 17.
Did the Eagles consider trading up? They could have tried to leap-frog Dallas by brokering a trade with Atlanta at No. 16. And, per ESPN’s Ed Werder, Philadelphia did indeed attempt to make that trade.
In the end, GM Howie Roseman stuck with his gut. They liked Jalen Reagor from the jump and didn’t have to give up any draft capital to get him.
“We’re very aggressive in working the phones and having these conversations with teams and trying to figure out where we can move and when we can move,” Roseman said. “It just has to work for both sides obviously, but we are also very comfortable sitting here and taking a player that has a great skill set for what we’re looking for. Like Coach [Pederson] just said, we knew there were a lot of talented receivers in this offense and there is a lot of different flavors, and this was the one we felt could really help our football team in multiple ways.”
Cowboys Had Lamb Ranked Sixth-Best Prospect in Draft
The Cowboys needed help on the defensive side of the ball, specifically at cornerback and defensive end. However, Dallas chose to pounce on CeeDee Lamb after the Oklahoma product fell down in the NFL Draft. Once considered the top receiver on the board, Lamb was mysteriously the third player taken at the position.
So what happened? Lamb’s tape is a thing of beauty and his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine did nothing to diminish it. He also has enviable size at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, with a pretty impressive 4.50 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Not bad for a big body.
Some explanation on Cowboys taking CeeDee Lamb at 17:
1) They know they need DBs, DL. Believe depth at each is still there tomorrow.
2) Losing Randall Cobb, they did view WR as a need. Hadn’t expected they could get a Lamb talent. To them, he was 6th best prospect.
According to USA Today, the Cowboys turned down three “worthwhile offers” to select Lamb at No. 17. They thought he was the best football player available, a “blinking light up there” on the board.
“You can’t have enough playmakers,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “Any time you add a playmaker to your offense, it creates more opportunities for everybody else.”
Does Lamb Have Any Character Issues?
When a player falls hard like CeeDee Lamb does, the immediate reaction is that he must have character issues. Or injury concerns. But Lamb didn’t appear to have any red flags.
He only missed five total games in three years at Oklahoma and never dealt with any serious injuries. Unlike Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy who had minor concerns over an old knee injury after undergoing meniscus surgery in 2018. Lamb’s fall was baffling, although the way he snatched his phone away from his girlfriend on draft night led to a viral moment. It seemed innocent but sparked controversy nonetheless.
Did y’all peep this?😭😂 #CeeDeeLamb #NFLDraft2020
Crymson Rose, who formerly dated NBA star Trae Young, explained the incident late Thursday night. Apparently, Lamb’s agent was calling and he needed to answer it right away. Case closed on that one. Time will tell why Lamb ended up dropping down to the Cowboys at No. 17.
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Eagles Attempted to Trade Up in NFL Draft for CeeDee Lamb: Report