Dynasty Prospect Scouting Report: CeeDee Lamb

By Jared Smola 7:03pm EST 3/1/20

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

Height: 6’2

Weight: 198

Age: 20.9

Combine results:

(percentile rank among all WRs at the Combine since 1999, courtesy of mockdraftable.com):

40-yard dash: 4.50 seconds (55th)

Vertical: 34.5” (38th)

Broad: 124” (74th)

3-cone: n/a

20-yard shuttle: n/a

College career:

A 4-star recruit out of John and Randolph Foster High School in Texas, Lamb chose Oklahoma over offers from a slew of other big-name schools, including Alabama, Texas, Baylor and UCLA.

He made an immediate impact as a true freshman, ranking 3rd on the team in catches and yards behind only NFLers Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews. Lamb’s 7 scores tied for 2nd with Brown. He was named a freshman All-American by ESPN.

He took a big step forward in his 2018 sophomore campaign. Lamb led the Sooners in receiving scores and trailed only Brown in catches and yards. Playing in the nation’s 4th-ranked passing offense piloted by QB Kyler Murray certainly helped. But Lamb still posted nice market shares: 23.7% of the team's receptions, 25.6% of the receiving yards and 25.6% of the receiving TDs.

Brown's departure paved the way for Lamb to take over as Oklahoma’s top dog this past year. The passing game wasn’t quite as productive under QB Jalen Hurts, but Lamb still set new career highs in yards, yards per catch and TDs. He easily led the team in all major receiving categories, despite missing 1 game with an undisclosed injury. Lamb accounted for 26.7% of the Sooners’ receptions, 34.3% of the receiving yards and 43.8% of the receiving TDs in his 13 games.

Ranking 6th in the nation in receiving yards and 5th in TDs, Lamb was named consensus first-team All-Big 12 and All-American. He was a Biletnikoff Award finalist, ultimately losing out to LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase.

Lamb left Oklahoma with a massive 19.0 career yards-per-catch average and 24 receptions of 40+ yards. He leads all non-seniors in career receiving yards and TDs. He also contributed on punt returns, averaging 8.8 yards on 54 attempts.

Film study:

Courtesy of @WhatsOnDraftNFL

Games watched - Alabama (2018), Texas, Iowa State, Baylor, LSU

If you’re a fan of high-level route running, Lamb might not be your favorite prospect. That’s not to say he’s a slouch in that department. He’s a good enough route runner. It’s just not his trump card.

What is his trump card? Big-play ability — both on deep balls and after the catch.

Let’s start with his best weapon: His run-after-catch ability. Lamb looks to attack defenders immediately after making a grab. He moves with the speed and elusiveness of a sleek 198-pounder …

But he also boasts surprising power. Lamb broke 26 tackles on his 62 catches and averaged a huge 11.0 yards after the catch this past season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lamb is nearly as dangerous on downfield shots. He has long-striding speed to run by defenders and has excellent ball skills. He tracks deep balls well and is able to make late adjustments to come down with the pigskin.

Lamb also displays the willingness and ability to make tough catches in traffic on posts and deep crossing routes.

Lamb showed some positional versatility at Oklahoma, lining up in the slot for 19.4% of his snaps over the past 2 seasons.

He also loves getting his nose dirty as a run blocker. That’ll only help his chances of getting on the field early and often as a pro.

If there’s a knock against Lamb, it’s his inconsistent hands. He dropped 4 of 42 catchable targets (9.5%) in the 5 games I watched.

Fantasy potential:

Big plays and TDs are the money makers in fantasy football. Lamb was a monster in both departments at Oklahoma.

He has the size, speed and ball skills to win on deep balls. And his burst, elusiveness and power make him a terror with the ball in his hands. Lamb reminds me of a lighter version of Demaryius Thomas, who wasn’t a dominant route runner but feasted on both screens and downfield shots. Thomas, of course, turned in 6 top-24 fantasy finishes, including 3 seasons inside the top 5.

Lamb boasts similar upside in the right landing spot. Fingers crossed that he’s reunited with QB Kyler Murray in HC Kliff Kingsbury’s Cardinals offense.