CeeDee Lamb slipped to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17 overall in the 2020 draft. Despite already paying Amari Cooper big bucks and having impressive Michael Gallup at receiver, the Joneses scooped up the Oklahoma product.
Thus far in training camp, Lamb has reportedly looked the part of a future star. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones was asked on KLDR-FM whether Lamb looked like a rookie during practices.
"No. Not at all," Jones responded, via the Dallas Morning News. "He's obviously as excited as we all were when he was sitting there and we were able to select him. I think he's exceeded all expectations. He's got, I think, rare football IQ. I think it comes natural to him whether it's his route-running and his feel for the game, whether it's catching the ball, whether it's his ability to accelerate after the catch. Everything just seems to click with him, and I know his teammates have certainly enjoyed him. He's super, super competitive, works super hard. You just can't say enough nice things about him. We're so fortunate that he ended up being there for us, and he's going to make a big, big difference in our offensive football team, and for that matter, even in special teams. It's not going to surprise me to see him back there potentially helping in the return game as well."
The hype for Lamb in Dallas is becoming outsized before a snap of football against another squad has been played.
Take, for instance, David Helman, who works for the team's official website. Helman compared Lamb's rookie camp to former Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant in his prime.
Any comparison to prime Dez is rich praise. If Lamb proves that appraisal even mostly true as a rookie, it'd be a smashing success.
With no preseason action for the public to consider, all we can go on is what reporters have seen and what front office and coaches are willing to admit. Thus far, all accounts have been glowing when it comes to Lamb.
The biggest question when it comes to Lamb's production in his rookie season isn't talent -- he has that in spades -- it's whether he'll see enough targets with Cooper and Gallup also needing to get fed and Ezekiel Elliott gobbling up pigskins out of the backfield.
