DALLAS — With the 17th pick in the virtual 2020 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb
Lamb is considered one of the top three receivers in this year's class and has a strong case to be number one.
The Cowboys get tremendous value with Lamb slipping to No. 17. The former Sooners star bolsters the receiving group, alongside Pro Bowler Amari Cooper and rising star Michael Gallup.
The Dallas offense looks incredibly bright and promising for years to come.
2020 NFL Draft goes virtual
Since 1936, the NFL Draft has been held in venues across the country, including AT&T Stadium in Arlington (2018).
This year, the draft was supposed to be held in Las Vegas. Instead, it will be held in cyberspace.
“We’ll be talking about this one 10 years from now,” joked Marcus Spears, an ESPN football analyst and former Dallas Cowboys defensive end.
Some aspects of the draft will be normal. More than 250 players will find a spot with 32 teams.
The draft will span three days, beginning with round one Thursday night. All seven rounds will be broadcast either on WFAA and ESPN.
But, what you’ll see on TV will be different from years past.
Here's how the 2020 NFL Draft will work
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the picks from his home.
There will be no arena. No stage. No fans.
There will be no war room for teams to congregate.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will be in one place. His son Stephen (Cowboys Executive Vice President) will be in another.
“I don’t think it’s going to be as big a challenge as you might think,” Stephen Jones said on the Cowboys pre-draft conference call this week, regarding making trades or signing undrafted free agents. “I think it’s going to work very effectively doing it virtually.”
The NFL did run-through earlier this week, but if you’ve ever used the internet with multiple devices — you know things can get a little glitchy.
“They had only one real league-wide dress rehearsal,” said Jerry Jones. “When we had glitches, one of the keys to me was to have backups, backups, backups — to execute trades or execute the business of the draft.”
Teams will get 10 minutes per pick in round one. Seven minutes in round two. Five minutes in rounds three through six. And four minutes in round seven.
If there‘s a technical issue or glitch, the NFL can pause the clock until the problem is resolved.
“Bottom line is: we’ve rehearsed that,” explained Jerry Jones. “I’m very comfortable with it. The technical capability is very much there.”
The Cowboys hold the 17th pick in the NFL’s first virtual draft.