Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb was rated by most scouts as the No. 1 receiver in the NFL Draft Class of 2020, yet Lamb was the third one off the board. The Dallas Cowboys were ecstatic he was there when they picked in Round 1. Here are Lamb’s odds at Mybookie to win 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the Cowboys’ over/under win total.
- Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year: +1500
- Cowboys’ win total: 5 (over -160 favorite)
Dallas selected Lamb with the 17th pick of April’s draft.
Lamb was truly ridiculous as a high school senior in Houston. In that 2016 campaign, he had 98 receptions for 2,032 yards (fourth in state history), 33 receiving touchdowns (tied for second in state history) and 3 punt returns for touchdowns. Every school wanted him and he picked Oklahoma over Texas, Baylor and Alabama.
In 2017, Lamb contributed right away for OU in being named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. Lamb, who was just the third true freshman in program history to start a season opener at wide receiver, ranked third nationally among freshmen by averaging 17.5 yards per catch. His 807 receiving yards set a school freshman record while his seven touchdown receptions tied the OU freshman record and his 46 receptions tied for second most.
The following season, Lamb was second-team All-Big 12. Lamb caught 65 passes for 1,158 yards (82.7 per game) and led the team with 11 touchdown receptions. Lamb registered five 100-yard receiving games and caught at least one touchdown pass in seven straight games. He paired with Marquise Brown to give OU its first duo to each record at least 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Lamb also ranked second in Big 12 and eighth nationally by averaging 12.8 yards per punt return.
Last year, Lamb was first-team All-American and finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. He had career highs with 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. He tied for fifth nationally (led Big 12) with those receiving TDs and ranked third in country and first in Big 12 with 21.4 yards per catch (most ever by an OU player with at least 50 receptions in a season). He was 10th in country with 102.1 receiving yards per game despite ranking 71st with 4.8 catches per contest.
Lamb finished his OU career with 24 career catches of at least 40 yards and with six career games of at least 160 receiving yards (both school records), is second in OU history career receiving TDs (32), third in career receiving yards (3,292) and career 100-yard receiving games (14), sixth in career receptions (173) and 15th in career all-purpose yards (3,799). His 19.0 yards per catch is highest average in school history among players with at least 130 receptions.
Lamb was the second straight OU wideout to be selected in Round 1, joining Brown, who went No. 25 overall in 2019 to Baltimore. It’s the first time in school history that OU has had receivers go in the first round in back-to-back drafts. Lamb easily led the draft class in yards per target (15.1) and yards after the catch (11.0), seamlessly dodging would-be tacklers in open space.
He wins at the line of scrimmage with quick feet and finishes off plays with in-air adjustments, drawing comparisons to DeAndre Hopkins. Lamb will be utilized in the screen game and on vertical routes as an all-around go-to slot option with Dallas despite being an average-sized wideout with 4.50 speed.
Lamb will wear the historic No. 88 with Dallas. The Cowboys are hoping Lamb can track along the same lines as some of the previous 88s — Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin and Dez Bryant. Pearson wore No. 88 from 1973 to 1983 and is in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. Irvin, a Hall of Famer, wore No. 88 from 1988 to 1999 and left as the franchise leader in receptions. Bryant wore No. 88 from 2010 to 2017 and is the franchise leader with 73 touchdown receptions.
Lamb wants to be included in that fraternity.
“Be a Hall of Famer,” Lamb said when asked his career goals. “Have as much of an impact or more that Michael (Irvin) had on the game and on America’s Team. I want to be on a team that makes unbelievable memories together. I feel like that is what we are going to do here.
