Comparing CeeDee Lamb to a top NFL Draft prospect at similar age
CeeDee Lamb was widely considered the top wide receiver prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft when the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the first-round. His body control and yards-after-catch ability made him a special prospect coming out of Oklahoma. Lamb was the third receiver taken in that draft class. Alabama's Henry Ruggs III and Jerry […]
CeeDee Lamb was widely considered the top wide receiver prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft when the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the first-round. His body control and yards-after-catch ability made him a special prospect coming out of Oklahoma.
Lamb was the third receiver taken in that draft class. Alabama's Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy were both taken ahead of the former Sooners star. That said, The Athletic's Ted Nguyen was one of many that ranked Lamb as the top talent.
Lamb is a classic X receiver but also has position versatility. He played a lot of slot at Oklahoma and showed a knack for finding space and making sight adjustments against the blitz. The combination of his physical skills with his football I.Q. and work ethic makes him the top wide receiver prospect in this draft.
The Richmond, Texas, native turned in a solid rookie season with the Cowboys. He caught 74 passes for 935 yards and five touchdowns. Lamb's grab against the Minnesota Vikings in week 11 was one of the most impressive plays of the entire 2020 NFL season.
CeeDee Lamb would have undoubtedly broken the 1,000-yard mark if Dak Prescott was throwing him passes all season. The Cowboys had three different quarterbacks — Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert — take starting snaps after Prescott went down in week five.
That makes Lamb's first season in the league even more impressive. It is easy to get excited about Lamb catching passes from Dak Prescott for a full 16-game schedule when looking at the flashes he showed with inconsistent quarterback play.
COMPARING LAMB TO ALABAMA'S DEVONTA SMITH
Last year's wide receiver draft class was one of the best in history. A record-setting 13 wideouts were drafted in the fist two rounds. That obviously includes CeeDee Lamb to the Dallas Cowboys at 17th overall.
There is some belief that the 2021 receiver draft class could be even better.
Alabama's Devonta Smith is one of the headliners of the class. The 2020 Heisman Trophy had one of the greatest college football seasons ever and could be drafted as high as third overall in April.
Smith showed signs of brilliance throughout his career with the Crimson Tide. He took his game to an entirely different level during his fourth and final season.
The former five-star prospect posted career-highs in every major category in 2020. He caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and a whopping 23 touchdowns. Smith became the first receiver since Desmond Howard in 1991 to win the Heisman.
To put it simply: Smith was dominant as a senior on the collegiate level.
Smith's 2020 season is one of the most efficient seasons ever by a wide receiver, according to PFF's Austin Gayle. The graphic below demonstrates just how impressive fellow draft prospect Ja'Marr Chase and Cowboys' wideout CeeDee Lamb were in 2019, as well.
College football is producing an insane amount of talent at the wide receiver position. The Cowboys benefited in last year's draft by grabbing Lamb in round one. Another team will benefit by taking Smith in this year's first-round.
As good as Devonta Smith was in 2020, it is worth noting that he was a 21-year-old that turned 22-years-old in the late part of his senior season. Depending on your thoughts on "breakout age", that may not matter a ton.
That said, Lamb was becoming an effective wideout in the National Football League at the same age. That makes Lamb's first season in the league that much more impressive than it already was.
It is pretty clear that CeeDee Lamb is on his way to being a quality receiver in the NFL — if not a star receiver in the NFL.
He did struggle with some drops and disappeared in some games, but that can be kind of expected from a first-year wideout. Especially when catching passes from a handful of different quarterbacks.
Devonta Smith is a terrific prospect in his own right. He will likely make a team very happy after he is drafted in April. All of that said, the Dallas Cowboys have to be thrilled by having CeeDee Lamb on the roster.
Lamb has an extremely high ceiling and is just scratching the surface of what he can become. His relatively young age and production without Prescott points to the sky being the limit for the former Oklahoma Sooners star.
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
