CeeDee Lamb has already gotten his big payday and proven himself as a viable No. 1 wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. However, leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft, the then-Oklahoma receiver was never projected to slip to the No. 17 pick. When he did, though, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office didn't hesitate to make sure they secured the pot of gold that fell in their laps from the football gods.
Now as the NFL offseason and the 2025 NFL Draft loom large for the Cowboys, we don't know what will happen on draft night in Green Bay. We don't know for sure which players will fall down the board or who could be available for Dallas when they're officially on the clock for the No. 12 overall pick.
Based on some recent trends from some of the most respected draft experts in the business, though, it might be more of a CeeDee 2.0 situation than we previously realized.
In this latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, once projected as a Top 5-8 pick for many analysts, falling all the way to the Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 22 pick. Obviously, the Cowboys didn't take McMillan him with the 12th pick — that would be North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton — but it does mean he was well on the board when Dallas would've been making their selection.
Cowboys could have Tetairoa McMillan fall right in their lap in 2025 NFL Draft
Most importantly in the context of Kiper's mock draft, this isn't just one person predicting this type of fall for McMillan. In his latest mock draft, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah also had the Arizona pass-catcher slipping past the Cowboys to Tampa Bay with the 19th pick. Given that Kiper and Jeremiah are two of the most plugged-in guys in the business, that they both have McMillan slipping should set off some alarm bells.
At the same time, though, both Kiper and Jeremiah mentioned that McMillan isn't falling for any specific reason. Jeremiah noted he could go higher than No. 19 and Kiper said it was a product of teams prioritizing other positions. For the Cowboys, though, that's exactly what happened with Lamb and McMillan is a player who fits a more immediate need now at receiver.
Lamb was largely on an island this past season in the Dallas offense. Brandin Cooks was injured and is now a free agent, Jalen Tolbert looks like a No. 3 and the rest of the group didn't show much of anything (thanks for the Jonathan Mingo trade, Jerry!). There is a dire need to get another option for Dak Prescott's return to make this passing game functional again. The combo of Lamb and McMillan would do that in an instant.
McMillan is still considered a Top 10 talent according to consensus boards in this draft. He's a big-bodied target who moves much better than most players his size. Putting that with Lamb makes the Cowboys offense a dynamic force. And again, this is right in Dallas' wheelhouse, taking the asset falling for no reason. Previously with someone like Lamb, they did that despite not having an immediate need. With McMillan, that need is now there, which should make it even more likely.
Things are going to change at the NFL Combine and over the next two months as they do every draft season. But if McMillan continues to be projected as a player on the board when the Cowboys are picking, it's hard to believe they wouldn't act just as they did with Lamb and 2020 and not let him slip past Dallas.