Lamb & Pickens vs. Brown & Smith: Who's the NFL's Best Receiver Duo in 2025?

[mcmvp]

Pretty simple

Lamb > Brown
Pickens > Smith

lol

 

[CowboyFrog]

lol

again sure ill give it to Brown /Smith until i see CD and Pick on the field but its hardly a long shot they could be better.

 

[mcmvp]

again sure ill give it to Brown /Smith until i see CD and Pick on the field but its hardly a long shot they could be better.

No…it’s not a long shot (depending on how Pickens plays/behaves…not a small thing). But I think it’s silly to consider them the leaders in the clubhouse

 

[CowboyFrog]

No…it’s not a long shot (depending on how Pickens plays/behaves…not a small thing). But I think it’s silly to consider them the leaders in the clubhouse

of course we dont know but i would think they are asking CD to certainly be a leader...to be honest he and AJ kinda have the same hot spots...they can both go way left on you. Pickens is a wild card for sure.

 

[mardwin]

Neither.... Bengals have the best receiver duo.

 

[visionary]

The NFL has no shortage of elite wide receiver pairings, but two duos stand out in 2025: the Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Let’s compare them across production, skill sets, efficiency, and impact.

Career Production Comparison (Through 2024)​

Player	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns	Yards/Rec	Games Played
CeeDee Lamb	520	6,655	39	12.8	81
George Pickens	184	2,978	13	16.2	48
A.J. Brown	487	7,624	54	15.7	90
DeVonta Smith	351	4,606	27	13.1	63

Key Takeaways:​

• Brown + Smith have the edge in combined production and playoff success.
• Pickens has the highest yards per catch, showing explosive potential.
• Lamb is the most productive volume receiver overall

​

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Lamb & Pickens, Brown & Smith’s Skill Sets​

• CeeDee Lamb is an elite yards-after-catch (YAC) receiver, especially effective on short and intermediate routes. Lamb had a 5.6 YAC compared to an expected YAC of 3.4.
• George Pickens thrives on vertical routes, averaging 13.5 total air yards and contested catches at 57.3%.

https://insidethestar.com/lamb-pickens-vs-brown-smith-whos-the-nfls-best-receiver-duo-in-2025

Is a duo that hasnt played a single game together ‘better’ than a duo that hasnt played been to 2 SBs and won 1?

Only on CZ

Only on CZ

 

[CowboyFrog]

Is a duo that hasnt played a single game together ‘better’ than a duo that hasnt played been to 2 SBs and won 1?

Only on CZ

Only on CZ

right fans are dumb... again i dont agree but why care if fans are pumped about it?

 

[CowboyFrog]

lol

to be honest would you bet right now hurtz passing is better than Dak's if both play every game?

 

[kskboys]

The NFL has no shortage of elite wide receiver pairings, but two duos stand out in 2025: the Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Let’s compare them across production, skill sets, efficiency, and impact.

Career Production Comparison (Through 2024)​

Player	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns	Yards/Rec	Games Played
CeeDee Lamb	520	6,655	39	12.8	81
George Pickens	184	2,978	13	16.2	48
A.J. Brown	487	7,624	54	15.7	90
DeVonta Smith	351	4,606	27	13.1	63

Key Takeaways:​

• Brown + Smith have the edge in combined production and playoff success.
• Pickens has the highest yards per catch, showing explosive potential.
• Lamb is the most productive volume receiver overall

​

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​

Lamb & Pickens, Brown & Smith’s Skill Sets​

• CeeDee Lamb is an elite yards-after-catch (YAC) receiver, especially effective on short and intermediate routes. Lamb had a 5.6 YAC compared to an expected YAC of 3.4.
• George Pickens thrives on vertical routes, averaging 13.5 total air yards and contested catches at 57.3%.

https://insidethestar.com/lamb-pickens-vs-brown-smith-whos-the-nfls-best-receiver-duo-in-2025

Chase/Higgins.

Davante Adams/Puca honorable mention.

 

[kskboys]

to be honest would you bet right now hurtz passing is better than Dak's if both play every game?

Oh, not sure that's close. People have conveniently forgotten Hurts' horrific INT in the red zone in the super bowl. D won that game, Hurts was OK.

 

[plasticman]

I would assume that this is the type of question that is discussed after 2025.

We have enough debate just discussing what we have seen with our own eyes. Speculation isn't going to answer this question.

What if the question becomes irrelevant because Daniels uses McLaurin and Samuel to rock the NFL world in Washington?

What if Travis Hunter teams up with the Jaguar's previous #1 pick, Brian Thomas as Trevor Lawrence puts it all together?

There are many teams with potential bookend receiving stars.

For all the talk about how Pickens is going to set the NFL on fire, I see him as a high end WR2 in a role very similar to Alvin Harper.

If the running game improves then Schottenheimer is going to balance the offfense. This mean an average of about 32-33 passes per game, a reduction in pass attempts by about 15%.

Lamb is going to get his 9 targets per game.

The TEs will probably get their typical amount of 7 targets per game.

The RBs will become more active in the passing game, that is part of the plan. In fact, this is where both Williams and Blue is valued for their receiving skills. In a typical Dak-healthy season, the RBs combine for about 6 targets but you can expect that to increase to about 8 a game.

That leaves an average of 7-8 targets a game to be shared by WRs other than Lamb, including probably Tolbert, Mingo and even Turpin.

So how many targets should Pickens get per game. Should targets be taken away from Lamb to even things out more?

Pickens is going to have real opportunities to display his new attitude and maturity on live television because the media is going to want to stoke some Cowboys controversy.

The Brown-Smith partnership produced a ring in 2024 while being within one target of complete even distribution, Smith with 68, Brown with 67. When you compare that to what amounts to wishful thinking on the part of Cowboys fans, it is obvious which pair is best at this particular point in time.

A great deal of fortunate events for the Cowboys would have to take place in 2025 for that narrative to change.

 

[KingCorcoran]

I would assume that this is the type of question that is discussed after 2025.

We have enough debate just discussing what we have seen with our own eyes. Speculation isn't going to answer this question.

What if the question becomes irrelevant because Daniels uses McLaurin and Samuel to rock the NFL world in Washington?

What if Travis Hunter teams up with the Jaguar's previous #1 pick, Brian Thomas as Trevor Lawrence puts it all together?

There are many teams with potential bookend receiving stars.

For all the talk about how Pickens is going to set the NFL on fire, I see him as a high end WR2 in a role very similar to Alvin Harper.

If the running game improves then Schottenheimer is going to balance the offfense. This mean an average of about 32-33 passes per game, a reduction in pass attempts by about 15%.

Lamb is going to get his 9 targets per game.

The TEs will probably get their typical amount of 7 targets per game.

The RBs will become more active in the passing game, that is part of the plan. In fact, this is where both Williams and Blue is valued for their receiving skills. In a typical Dak-healthy season, the RBs combine for about 6 targets but you can expect that to increase to about 8 a game.

That leaves an average of 7-8 targets a game to be shared by WRs other than Lamb, including probably Tolbert, Mingo and even Turpin.

So how many targets should Pickens get per game. Should targets be taken away from Lamb to even things out more?

Pickens is going to have real opportunities to display his new attitude and maturity on live television because the media is going to want to stoke some Cowboys controversy.

The Brown-Smith partnership produced a ring in 2024 while being within one target of complete even distribution, Smith with 68, Brown with 67. When you compare that to what amounts to wishful thinking on the part of Cowboys fans, it is obvious which pair is best at this particular point in time.

A great deal of fortunate events for the Cowboys would have to take place in 2025 for that narrative to change.

If Pickens plays well, how much compensation do you think he’ll think he’s worth? Will he accept a Higgins type deal?

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

Having Barkley behind that O-Line doesn't hurt either.

Having Barkley means AJ doesn't get the spam yardage Lamb gets. Philly is also usually up big in the 4th quarter and burning clock and running the ball. Dallas is often in "garbage time mode" aka Dak Mode, where the game is lost but he's building his stats with garbage short passes, and Lamb sucks those things up like a fat woman eating bon bons. You really have to use the eye, not the stats, on these guys. Also.... I think it's fair to say they're all good at different things, and maybe 1 guy would be the best against a certain type of coverage or situation, and another guy may be better against another type.

 

[Havic]

Best duo in the league is chase and Higgins

 

[Whyjerry]

How is this a question? One duo just won a SB. The other never played together.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

I don't disagree, and Barry Sanders was probably the best player who won the Heisman. However, the statement I provided was more of a general point that the Heisman doesn't guarantee a successful NFL career for any player. If you wanted to argue semantics that's pretty much where it went.

Winning the Heisman doesn't guarantee a successful career.

But having a successful career guarantees having a successful career. D. SMITH is already having a successful career, from the first time he stepped on the field...just like Lamb and Brown has.

Pickens has more to prove. Will we get more than 1 season to see him prove it? Unlikely.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

Lamb vs Brown is a push. They're both monsters, and even as a Cowboys fan, I could hear a case for either one.

Devonta is way better than Pickens though. Pickens is strictly a low-volume deep guy who doesn't separate well underneath, and of course he runs hot and cold. He was the unquestioned #1 in Pittsburgh and I don't think he ever caught more than 60 passes in a season. Smith is a 3 level dude who would post way bigger stats if he ever got #1 volume.

Agree with this.... with the caveat that Pickens is more of an unknown good OR bad. Lamb, Smith, Brown...you kinda know what they are at this point....and the opportunities they have within their systems.

 

[visionary]

right fans are dumb... again i dont agree but why care if fans are pumped about it?

I like to point out stupidity and ignorance

 

[mcmvp]

to be honest would you bet right now hurtz passing is better than Dak's if both play every game?

I don’t think either Dak nor Hurts is an elite passer. Dak used to be better, but that gap has closed considerably. But that’s only one aspect of QB play anyway. Barkley wouldn’t get 2000 yards rushing with Dak even if Dak enjoyed the protection of the Eagles oline. He’s just not a serious threat to run, so he doesn’t eliminate a defender like Hurts does.

Then there’s the ability to bring your best in the biggest moments. Hurts excels over Dak in that category by quite a large margin.

 

[atlantacowboy]

The answer is : Tee Higgins and Jamar Chase.