CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

The NFL Draft essentially boils down to two schools of thought. Either you’re drafting players at positions of need, or you’re drafting the most talented player available. 

Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell down the draft boards in part because of the former. The teams taking players in the top half of the Draft tended to have bigger needs than wide receiver. But the Dallas Cowboys, who already had one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, weren’t scared away by roster needs. Instead, they traveled the road of the best player available; and might have added the most talented offensive player in the 2020 Draft class.

Lamb was taken 17th overall, but he has the stats and the skills to make the case for being a top-five player in the class. Lamb finished his final college season with the Sooners raking up over 1,300 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, more than both Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy, who were both drafted ahead of Lamb. 

Lamb’s stats weren’t just a product of the Lincoln Riley offense, either. Rather, Lamb created his own success, having just about every trait you could ask for in a receiver. Terrific yards after the catch ability, great hands, a master at creating separation. Even in a crowded receiver room, Lamb could be a 1,000-yard receiver by his rookie year, with the potential to do even more as he gets used to the NFL game. 

No, 17th isn’t a dramatic fall down the draft board. But for someone as talented as Lamb, it’s well beyond where he was expected to be taken.