Dallas Cowboys: The legacy of the legendary number 88

CeeDee Lamb (2020-Present)

The newest addition to the “88” club is Oklahoma Sooner standout, CeeDee Lamb. Since he hasn’t played a snap in the NFL yet, I can’t get into how good he has played. What I can do; however, is look into his college career and project where I can see him lining up by the time he leaves.

Lamb had a very impressive freshman year. This consisted of him catching 46 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns all in 13 games. The 17.5 yards per reception was good enough to rank eighth in the Big 12.

Don’t worry, Lamb can also threaten the opposition as a returner too. As a punt returner, he caught 13 punts and returned them for 78 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per return.

His sophomore season was a nice step up, catching 65 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games. That’s good enough to rank top 10 in the Big 12 for receptions and receiving yards. He was also top five in the Big 12 for receiving touchdowns and yards per reception.

Why not step up your return game too? He returned 17 punts for 218 yards, averaging 12.8 yards per return. This ranked him at the top of the Big 12 for punt returns, punt return yards, and average punt return yards.

Last season is what sealed the deal for how good of a prospect Lamb is. Having 62 catches for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. Just because why not, throw in his nine rushes for 20 yards and one touchdown.

In the Big 12, Lamb ranked sixth in receptions, second in receiving yards, first in yards per reception, and first in receiving touchdowns. You also can’t leave out placing fifth for receiving touchdowns and third in yards per reception in the entire NCAA.

While there was a drop in production for returns, it was still very good. He returned 24 punts for 179 yards with an average of 7.5 yards per return. That ranks him at the top in the Big 12 for punt returns, second in return yards, and third in average return yards.

Why not top off the season with being a consensus All-American? Without a doubt, CeeDee Lamb has been one of the best wide receivers in the nation.

For that reason, many people had CeeDee as the top wideout in the 2020 draft. Luckily for the Cowboys, he fell right onto their lap.

I think Lamb can have a career similar to Irvin, where he took a while to burst out but went on to play very well for a good amount of time. This is only because of the great wideouts already on the roster. The sooner Lamb is given a good opportunity, the sooner he breaks out.

He has the catching radius of Dez and has the explosive after the catch plays of Irvin. Those combined will torture defenses for years to come.

I truly believe he has the superstar potential to become a future Hall of Famer. Everyone thinks of Lamb highly, now let’s watch as the next Dallas Cowboy wearing number 88 takes over the league.