The Broncos want to surround Drew Lock with a strong cast of supporting talent and adding Cedarian Lamb, better known as CeeDee, would accomplish just that.
Lamb was born in New Orleans but spent most of his childhood in Houston after his family has forced to move because of Hurricane Katrina. As a senior in highschool, he scored a jaw-dropping 33 touchdowns on just 98 receptions and chose to atttend the University of Oklahoma, where he would be named an All-American as a freshman.
Now, Lamb has the opportunity to make an equally smooth transition to the pro game. But, would he be a good pick for the Broncos?
Positives
No one else at the receiver position in the entirety of this year’s loaded class can do what CeeDee Lamb does after the catch. Give the ball to Lamb on a slant route and watch him go, as he cuts and slices by some defenders like a hot knife through butter while stampeding over others like an enraged bison. If there was a superlative for “receiver most-likely to cause a ‘beastquake’ ala Marshawn Lynch,” Lamb would be the unanimous selection.
Not only is Lamb terrific after the catch, but he’s amazing at the catch point as well. Few players are as gifted as Lamb is at going up and over cornerbacks to make physical, contested catches. Pairing him with Courtland Sutton would give secondaries in the AFC West and across the league nightmares of fade and corner routes at the back of the endzone.
Whether you want to create a big play by throwing the ball downfield, or by throwing it to an underneath receiver and asking him to make something after the catch, CeeDee Lamb is your guy.
Negatives
Lamb loves to out-leap and out-muscle defenders for the ball, but it’s much harder to make those plays against NFL defensive backs as opposed to those playing in the Big 12.
He just might not have the requisite size to make those same plays at the next level, standing at 6’2″ and weighing just under 200 pounds. It also doesn’t help that he has a vertical of just 34.5 inches, placing him in the bottom-10 of his position group at the combine.
The difference in size wasn’t the only way life was much easier on Lamb in college than it will be in the pros. While at Oklahoma, he never had to fight off press coverage. Should he be able to beat press coverage? One would think, but there’s no evidence that he can or that he’ll be competent at beating it in the NFL.
Also, while in college, Lamb worked exclusively with excellent quarterbacks and was schemed open by Lincoln Riley. Beating coverage was easy for Lamb because a lot of the weight was taken off his shoulders due to how good Riley’s scheme was. That means Lamb’s college route tree was pretty limited.
He also never had to elevate the play of his quarterback, because he caught passes from two No. 1 overall picks and another who should be gone before Round 3.
Verdict
CeeDee Lamb is an immensley talented receiver who is primed to be a difference maker from year one. There are questions about how he will be able to transition to the next level, because he was never asked to do certain things in college. However, there’s nothing in his tape that suggests he won’t be able to accomplish those tasks once he’s asked to in the NFL. Lamb is a rare breed who would pair perfectly with Courtland Sutton and ensure Drew Lock’s success.
Draft Projection: Top-15 pick
Player Comparison: DeAndre Hopkins
