CeeDee Lamb generating tons of hype entering second season
Dak Prescott is set to return from injury for the Dallas Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott is in tremendous shape. Randy Gregory is out to prove skeptics wrong. Both Tyron Smith and La'el Collins are on the field. Yet, it is CeeDee Lamb that seems to be generating the most hype for the Cowboys in training camp […]
Dak Prescott is set to return from injury for the Dallas Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott is in tremendous shape. Randy Gregory is out to prove skeptics wrong. Both Tyron Smith and La'el Collins are on the field.
Yet, it is CeeDee Lamb that seems to be generating the most hype for the Cowboys in training camp as Dallas prepares for its first preseason game this week.
Lamb was considered the steal of the first-round in 2020 after falling to 17th overall. The Dallas Cowboys did not blink or reach for need. Instead, the Cowboys grabbed the best player available, and Lamb has proven them to be right since that selection.
The former Oklahoma star was forced enter the NFL at a unique time. COVID-19 protocols made the transition from the collegiate level to the NFL a bit more difficult. Add in the fact that Prescott went down early in the season and four quarterbacks threw passes, you could understand a less-than-stellar season from Lamb in his rookie year.
However, Lamb lived up to the hype and then some. After building a strong connection with Prescott early on, Lamb became a threat with Andy Dalton, Garrett Gilbert, and Ben DiNucci behind center as well. Lamb nearly went for 1,000 yards receiving — 935 yards and five touchdowns, to be exact — despite those conditions.
LAMB CREATING EVEN MORE HYPE
Now, entering his second professional season, CeeDee Lamb is the talk of Dallas Cowboys training camp. He is making acrobatic catches, highlight reel plays, and reports suggest that he looks like the best player on the field in Oxnard.
In fact, The Athletic's Jon Machota, who has been on-site at training camp, says there is a "significant gap" between Lamb and every other play. That is certainly gigantic praise.
There is a significant gap between Lamb and everyone else. He’s having the best camp of anyone on the roster. When coach Mike McCarthy talks about noticing several second-year players making the leap in Year 2, Lamb has to be at the top of the list. Every practice seems to include at least one impressive Lamb highlight to go along with a handful of other noteworthy plays that he makes look effortless.
It doesn't matter who is throwing him passes or who is defending him. It doesn't matter what the other elements are, CeeDee Lamb is doing CeeDee Lamb things. And he's making it look easy.
This is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys envisioned when they drafted him in April of 2020. Lamb is a special talent with potential through the roof, which made the decision to choose him over a defender — a bigger need — an easy one. You don't pass up on these kind of talents.
CeeDee Lamb has the ability to beat defenders one-on-one in a variety of ways. He has proven that he can beat you at the catch point, in route running, and after the catch. Amari Cooper is still the top guy for the Cowboys. That said, Lamb has all of the makings to be WR1 in Dallas sooner rather than later.
If you were expecting Lamb to hit a wall or have a second-year slump, prepare to be disappointed. Lamb's game appears to be ascending. With Dak Prescott behind center for a full season, it is scary to think what 88 will do on the football field in 2021.
Featured image via Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
