The Cowboys, on paper, got one of the biggest steals in this past April's NFL Draft when standout Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell to Dallas at 17th overall. Lamb was one of the best pass-catchers in the country during his time with the Sooners and was predicted to be a top 15 pick by almost every draft expert.
Lamb will wear the No. 88 in Dallas, the same number that Hall of Fame wideout Michael Irvin sported for the Cowboys years earlier. And Irvin believes the addition of the rookie wideout will turn Dallas' offense to the league's best.
In fact, Irvin is so confident in what Lamb will bring to the table for the Cowboys that he compared the addition of the rookie wide receiver to one of the NBA's most controversial and talent-shifting free agent signings ever.
"What the Cowboys did in the 2020 NFL Draft, by adding CeeDee Lamb to the No. 1 offense in the National Football League - what Will McClay did, what Jerry Jones those guys, what Mike McCarthy did by adding this guy CeeDee Lamb, is akin, or almost tantamount to Kevin Durant being added to a 73-win Warriors team," Irvin said.
Woah, woah, woah.
Yes, Irvin just directly compared the addition of Lamb in Dallas to Kevin Durant -- a top 3 basketball player in the world (!!) -- joining a previously 73-win Warriors team.
There are a few things that immediately stand out when comparing the two that make Irvin's claim seem quite outlandish.
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For one, there's a significant talent gap between Lamb and Durant within their respective sports.
Lamb -- while an incredible collegiate wide receiver -- is still a rookie. On top of that, the coronavirus pandemic eliminated all in-person offseason activities, meaning the rookie adjustment period for everyone will be a lot tougher in 2020.
Durant, on the other hand, was one of the three best basketball players on the planet when he made the move to Golden State in 2016. That's why everyone was so upset by KD's decision to join the already stacked Warriors, who had made the NBA Finals the two seasons prior and just came off an NBA record 73-win season.
On top of that, Durant had just been eliminated by Golden State in the playoffs after his Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead. While Golden State was the better team during that season, Durant's Thunder team had the talent to win the NBA championship that season. So, his move to the Warriors was deemed the easy way out to win a championship.
Secondly, Durant's move to Golden State turned an already title contender into an enormous title favorite. In Dallas, Lamb will almost certainly improve an already explosive Cowboys offense, but no one is saying the addition of the rookie wide receiver is the sole move that will turn Big D into a Super Bowl favorite.
"They were already great offensively and they got one of the best players and one of the best young talents, at WR in the National Football League," Irvin said. "It is crazy what the Dallas Cowboys have an opportunity to do."
Irvin is right in that aspect. With the addition of Lamb, the Cowboys have one of the best wide receiver corps in the NFL. Dallas re-signed four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper to a lucrative five-year deal during free agency and still has promising third-year pass-catcher Michael Gallup in the fold, too.
But even if Lamb turns into the star wide receiver many expect him to be, putting him in the same category as Durant's move to Golden State is just preposterous. Few things, if any, will ever compare to that.
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Michael Irvin compares Cowboys drafting CeeDee Lamb to Kevin Durant signing with Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
