CeeDee Lamb vs. Justin Jefferson in NFL Draft: Cowboys vs. Vikings Right Pick?
Was it the right choice?
It'd obviously be foolish to tab Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb as a draft bust midway through his third season in the league.
With one 1,000-yard year already under his belt and another one certainly on the way this year, Lamb - who is coming off 11 catches for a career-high 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns in last Sunday's 31-28 overtime loss at the Green Bay Packers - has certainly lived up to the billing that comes with being the No. 17 overall selection by the Cowboys in 2020.
Lamb has proven he's one of the best young pass-catchers in the league. But with that pick, Dallas passed on someone who has arguably become one of the league's best receivers, if not overall players. And as the Cowboys (6-3) get set to visit the Minnesota Vikings (8-1) and star-studded receiver Justin Jefferson this week, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy got to reminisce on his thought process during the 2020 draft as he headed into his first season with the team.
"CeeDee was was my favorite of the group and (Jefferson) was right there after," McCarthy said Wednesday. "He's one of those guys you sit there and hope because after you draft CeeDee, you're hoping he falls a little bit so you can try to have a chance to go up and get him too. But that obviously didn't last long."
The Vikings took Jefferson No. 22 overall, five picks after the Cowboys got Lamb at No. 17. Since then, the former LSU Tiger has become arguably the best player from a draft class that is highlighted by names like Jonathon Taylor, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins.
Jefferson leads all receivers in the 2020 class in catches (265), receiving yards (4,076) and receiving touchdowns (21). But don't let all of this fool you.
Even though Jefferson has established himself as one of the NFL's true alpha receivers, behind him is Lamb, who is second in the 2020 draft class in catches (206) and receiving yards (2,743) and third in receiving touchdowns (16).
McCarthy's hopes of having Jefferson fall to the Cowboys at No. 51 overall in the second round now seem ridiculous in hindsight. But Dallas went with cornerback Trevon Diggs in the second round, another clear jackpot selection if his league-leading 11 interceptions last season were any indication. Diggs even held Jefferson to one of the worst performances of his career (two catches for 21 yards) last season in a 20-16 win for the Cowboys.
Maybe some of McCarthy's familiarity with Jefferson played a role in Dallas shutting him down, though this could be nearly impossible to replicate on Sunday.
"Jefferson, Destrehan High School (New Orleans), I’ve just known the kid’s background, multi-sport athlete," McCarthy said. "I'm not surprised at all he's having the success that he's having."
Along with being second in the league in receiving yards this season (1,060) Jefferson made what is already being considered one of the greatest catches of all time during Minnesota's improbable 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills last week.
His one-hand, fourth-down heroics kept the Vikings alive in the fourth quarter. And just like Lamb, Jefferson finished with a career-high 193 receiving yards on 10 catches while adding a touchdown.
"Hell of player" now looks to be an unintentional low-ball compliment from McCarthy as he looks back on the 2020 draft.
"We were very, very impressed with him and we thought we had him higher than most people on the board," he said of Jefferson. "So when he went after that, that was no surprise ... Hell of a player."
The Cowboys and Vikings kickoff from U.S Bank Stadium on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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