Any time that a team takes a highly rated skill player, it’s a sexy pick, and the Dallas Cowboys taking CeeDee Lamb is no exception to that rule.
Landing a top-10 prospect at No. 17 was one of the bigger steals in the 2020 NFL Draft class. Lamb put up some ridiculous numbers at Oklahoma, and he should have ample opportunity to do the same under Cowboys coaches Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore.
Lamb is coming into a near-perfect situation with the Cowboys, as he isn’t being asked to be “the guy.” More often than not, when a wide receiver is taken early in the first round, they are coming into a situation where the team needs a top-tier playmaker for the offense. With Dallas, Lamb will get his opportunities, but he joins a team with a perennial 1,000-yard rusher in Ezekiel Elliott, and two receivers who finished with 1,000 yards and six-plus touchdowns in Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
This essentially alleviates most of the pressure to perform immediately for the Lamb. He will be asked to move around from slot receiver to outside at times, as they can play with his position on the field. In today’s NFL that is geared more towards the passing game, Lamb can help create matchups that will benefit the entire offense.
With the loss of Randall Cobb to the Houston Texans, look for Lamb to replace the production lost due to free agency. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility for him to have a 55 receptions, 828 yards and three touchdowns year like Cobb did. However, given how dynamic of a playmaker Lamb is, he could easily pass those numbers up on his way to chasing down the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
