CeeDee Lamb is among the top 25 draft steals of the last decade joining a prestigious list and highlighting a long-standing Cowboys strategy.
When something great falls into someone’s lap, they shouldn’t ask questions. They should grab it with both hands, seize the opportunity, and don’t look back. It’s what the Dallas Cowboys did back in 2020 when CeeDee Lamb inexplicably fell to them at No. 17, and it’s what’s made Lamb one of the top 25 draft steals of the last decade.
The Cowboys didn’t have an obvious need at the wide receiver position that year. They had Amari Cooper, who was playing at the top of his game, they had a pre-injury version of Michael Gallup, who was a solid WR2 on any team, and they had the Cedrick Wilson-Noah Brown duo, two players with highly valuable expertise and loads versatility, at WR3. It was a good unit. But when Lamb fell from the heavens and into the Cowboys’ laps, it was a deal too good to pass up. This gift from the heavens would not be taken for granted and Lamb soon became one of the primary faces of the franchise.
After pulling in 74 receptions for 935 yards as a rookie, Lamb would go on to post four consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, eclipsing 1,100 yards in each of them. In 2024 Lamb solidified his place among the No. 88 greats in Dallas when he signed a four-year, $136 million extension to stay with the Cowboys through what will likely be the prime of his career.
It was said at the time Lamb wasn’t even a realistic scenario the Cowboys simulated in preparation for the draft. This too-good-to-be-true situation seemed like a foolish idea to entertain, but when it unfolded as it did, Dallas wasted little time pivoting strategies and changing the course of the franchise in the process.
The 2020 draft speaks to the merits of having a nimble attitude in matters such as the draft. The Cowboys had needs they wanted to address and planned to pick players according to those needs in the early rounds. Defensive end and cornerback were the needs back in 2020 and K’Lavon Chaisson and Trevon Diiggs sat high on Dallas’ target list. The Cowboys willingness to go off script and draft Lamb helped them dodge the bullet that was Chaisson, and it made things easy for them in the second round when Diggs fell to them at No. 51.
The 2025 NFL draft is a continuation of the same attitude and adaptiveness. Defensive tackle, running back, receiver and cornerback all topped Dallas’ needs list this year but the Cowboys didn’t address any of those positions with their top two draft picks. They saw a better player available in Tyler Booker, a guard, and drafted him instead. In the second round they saw Donovan Ezeiraku, a DE, and drafted him as well.
As luck would have it, they were rewarded for such behavior by having a need fall to them at Pick No. 76 when CB Shavon Revel fall into their laps. Much like Diggs back in 2020, Revel was an example of a steal and a need converging fortuitously.
By landing in the top 25 draft steals of the last decade, Lamb marks a huge win for the Cowboys decision makers and a huge win for open-minded draft strategies as a whole. Needs aren’t a good thing for teams entering the draft but being a prisoner to those needs is infinitely worse. The Cowboys may go into drafts each year with an unhealthy number of needs but at least they’re willing to pivot when a better opportunity comes around.
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