When Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb dropped into the second half of the first round on Thursday night, you can bet the Eagles thought the best wide receiver prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft would fall right to them.
But instead of Lamb getting caught by Philadelphia at No. 21, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys did the honors of denying them their ideal selection — by taking him four picks earlier.
If this was the latest season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Jones would be Larry David opening up "Jerry's Java" right next to (Howie) "Roseman's Roasters." Only in this case, this "spite pick" actually makes a lot of sense: It make the Cowboys' offense that much better equipped to take back the NFC East from the Eagles.
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The Cowboys did have a need for wide receiver under new offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy. While the thought was they would target a pure slot receiver to replace Randall Cobb — who replaced Cole Beasley — in between Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, they went above and beyond meeting that need for Dak Prescott.
Lamb, a physical and productive clone of the Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins, gives the Cowboys a ton of versatility for the passing game. Lamb becomes interchangeable with Cooper on outside and inside routes and with Gallup's ability to stretch the field to make big plays. Dallas has created a coverage nightmare with their top three targets.
That trio stacks up against any such combination in the league for a team that put up big numbers through the air last season. They'll all demand attention in 11-personnel sets while opening up the running game and short passing game better for Ezekiel Elliott.
The Eagles did get better at cornerback with Darius Slay, but they still have some coverage issues with the rest of the secondary. Slay might be able to take away Cooper or Lamb from time to time in the teams' head-to-head matchups, but not both. A traditional slot option wouldn't have caused that problem; Lamb, a potentially elite co-No. 1, does.
The Eagles did end up getting a wide receiver at No. 21 in TCU's Jalen Reagor, a speedy deep threat with his own brand of playmaking skills. But he's a considerable dropoff from his fellow Big 12 product, who has a more ideal size and a more complete game. The Cowboys needed a complementary receiver, but went much bigger with someone capable of being an alpha. The Eagles needed an alpha early, but got more of a home run hitter who, in essence, is a younger, healthier upgrade to DeSean Jackson. Philadelphia is still in need of a true No. 1.
Remember when the Eagles traded ahead of the Cowboys in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft to get tight Dallas Goedert? Dallas was targeting him as a successor to Jason Witten, but he ended up being a pretty good selection for the Eagles instead: They needed a lot of his receiving production to supplement Zach Ertz, which ultimately helped them edge the Cowboys in the division.
The Cowboys exacted greater revenge on the Eagles by grabbing Lamb two years later. They further strengthened an already strong receiving corps, while the Eagles had to settle for a less-surefire solution. It could be a decision that once again tilts the NFC East title back to Dallas.
