News: BTB: Cowboys 2021 player profile: CeeDee Lamb

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Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The second-year wideout is primed for a breakout season.

In a down year for the Cowboys, one bright spot from last season was the production of rookie wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb. The 17th-overall pick nearly reached 1,000 receiving yards in an outstanding rookie year.

Today we continue our player profile by diving into Lamb’s production in 2020 and looking forward to what he can achieve in 2021.

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Contract Status: Rookie deal, signed through 2024 plus fifth-year option. (Via Spotrac)

2020 Recap: It still hard to believe that Lamb fell all the way to the 17th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was one of the most hyped-up first-round picks, and the rookie wideout certainly lived up to that hype in 2020. Through the first six games of his NFL career, Lamb was on a tear. The then 21-year-old racked up 497 receiving yards on 36 catches and two touchdowns.

Two touchdowns for CeeDee Lamb.

(via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/LOxLBEPJGF

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 4, 2020​

After a red-hot start, Lamb’s individual performance started to dip a bit as the team really struggled. From Week 7 to Week 11, when the Cowboys went 1-4 as a team, Lamb caught just 17 passes for 153 yards, an average of nine yards per reception, and scored two touchdowns. The Cowboys offense as a whole was struggling during this period, so you can’t really blame Lamb for his dip in production. The Cowboys were cycling through quarterbacks and offensive linemen.

Lamb still made some spectacular plays during this tough five-week stretch, like the unbelievable grab against Minnesota shown below.

CeeDee Lamb going full contortionist for the touchdown. Dallas' WR1 by the end of the season, if not soonerpic.twitter.com/tli49U8wjf

— Laurie Horesh (@LaurieHoresh) November 22, 2020​

In the final five games of the season, Lamb played some of his best football. The now 22-year-old had a PFF receiving grade of 70 or above in four of the final five games of the 2020 regular season. After catching 21 passes for 285 yards and scoring three TDs in those final five outings, Lamb finished the season with 74 catches for 935 yards, 12.64 Y/R, and seven total touchdowns. Lambs’ PFF offensive grade for the season was 71.6, an extremely solid mark.

CeeDee Lamb's touchdown was so sick that he glitched @NFLonFOX's broadcast. #Cowboys #DallasCowboys #PHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/FCoBMBeNZc

— Justin Groc (@jgroc) December 28, 2020​

2021 Outlook: Lamb was everything the Cowboys could have wanted from a first-round pick in 2020. The wideout recorded the second-most receiving yards and receptions of 20-plus yards among all rookie wide receivers.

If there was one thing to nitpick Lamb on from his rookie year it was dropped passes. He led the team with nine on the season. Lamb certainly made up for these with his explosive plays and overall performance, but if he wants to take the next step in year two he will have to cut down on the drops.

Despite this, there aren’t many receivers in football with a higher ceiling in 2021 than CeeDee Lamb. With Dak Prescott back in the fold, Lamb has a chance to be downright dominant in 2021. He should easily surpass 1,000 receiving yards and has a shot to become a top ten receiver in the league in just his second season. Lamb is already making headlines at OTAs by making plays like the one shown below.

The #Cowboys have been raving about the work CeeDee Lamb has put in as he gets ready for his second season. Here he is in action today. Beautiful grab.

(via @dallascowboys)

pic.twitter.com/XM7sGMT9DQ

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) June 3, 2021​

Overall Review: Big things are coming for CeeDee Lamb in 2021. With his quarterback back at full strength and a healthy offensive line, Lamb has a chance to feast in one of the league’s best offenses.

Look for Lamb to surpass his rookie season numbers and be one of the best weapons in football in the upcoming season.

We spoke about the Cowboys wide receiver situation in the latest video on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel. Check it out and make sure to subscribe (which you can do right here) so you don’t miss any of our videos!

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