CeeDee Lamb is a Dallas Cowboy

CeeDee Lamb will begin his NFL career in his home state of Texas for the NFL's most prolific offense

CeeDee Lamb’s NFL journey begins in Jerry World — and in his home state.

Oklahoma’s record-setting receiver went with the 17th pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft to the Dallas Cowboys.

After months of speculation, Lamb was the third receiver picked behind Alabama’s Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy.

Lamb will play for the 8-8 Cowboys and first-year coach Mike McCarthy and catch passes from quarterback Dak Prescott, who ranked second in the NFL last season with 4,902 passing yards and fourth with 30 touchdowns.

The Cowboys led the NFL in total offense in 2019, averaging 431.5 yards per game.

“We had him as our sixth pick on the board,” Dallas owner Jerry Jones said Thursday night. “We never thought one of Lamb’s caliber would be there.

“At the end of the day, Lamb made the decision. He was good enough to take our pick above other guys we could have picked and felt good about it. ... He's a football player. He just earned it."

"He's a dynamic football player," said McCarthy. "The fact that he carries an alpha status and can play all four positions inside and outside, he's able to move around and create favorable matchups. ... He's an excellent fit for that. I think he's by far --  felt the dynamic player that he is with the ball in his hands."

"We just felt like we put the best player on the board and he'll be very good for our offense. ... We never once felt he would be there. We're very blessed to have him."

"It was one of those good fortune things where he just fell to us," said Cowboys executive vice president and CEO Stephen Jones. "It just worked out in our favor."

Veteran Amari Cooper led the Cowboys with 79 catches for 1,189 yards and 8 touchdown catches last season, while Michael Gallup collected 66 catches for 1,107 yards and six TDs. Randall Cobb caught 55 for 828 yards and three TDs last season, but signed with Houston as a free agent.

Lamb will be the Cowboys’ third offseason addition from Oklahoma. Dallas added tight end Blake Bell from Super Bowl champion Kansas City and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in free agency.

It’s the second year in a row Lincoln Riley’s Sooners have produced a first-round receiver — just the third school to do that since 1996. Brandon Aiyuk helped Arizona State extend that list to four schools when he was drafted at No. 25 on Thursday, joining former ASU teammate N'Keal Harry last year.

"I'm very thrilled for CeeDee and his family," coach Lincoln Riley said. "Been there with him since day one and remember watching him when he was a sophomore in high school. The progression he's made since then and the impact he made on the OU program and our university is just absolutely tremendous. Really excited for him here at the next level with the Cowboys. I think he's got a great chance to have a long and very prosperous career."

At OU, the 6-1, 195-pound Lamb is the only Sooner with three 80-yard pass plays in his career. After setting the Oklahoma freshman record with 807 receiving yards in 2017, he became the only OU receiver with two of the school’s top seven single-season yardage totals (1,158 in 2018, 1,327 in 2019).

He ranks third in school history with 3,292 receiving yards and sixth with 173 receptions.

That ratio plays out in his 19.0 average yards per catch, which tops all Oklahoma receivers with more than 100 career catches. (Marquise Brown averaged 18.3, Dede Westbrook averaged 18.0).

Lamb also ranks third in OU history with 14 career 100-yard receiving games (Ryan Broyles had 23, Mark Clayton had 15).

Lamb played only three seasons in Norman, and caught passes from three different quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts.

Lamb, who also returned punts for 475 yards in his career, finished 15th in OU annals with 3,799 all-purpose yards.

The No. 17 spot is the second-highest ever for an OU receiver. Billy Brooks was drafted at No. 11 by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976. 

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