CeeDee Lamb has something to learn from George Pickens that could make Cowboys offense even tougher to defend

It's funny how football works. When the Dallas Cowboys traded for wide receiver George Pickens in May, the narrative was all about how he could learn from CeeDee Lamb. And he did.

Lamb took the young wide receiver under his wing, even telling reporters Pickens and he were "co-one" wide receivers. Repeatedly, Pickens talks about his relationship with Lamb and how helpful his new teammate has been to him.

But now, entering Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season, it's clear Lamb—the "big brother" of the duo—also has a lot to learn from Pickens. A specific area that stands out is Pickens' ability to draw defensive pass interferences, which has been very helpful to the Cowboys offense this season.

Pickens has dominated this area of the game as he leads the NFL in yards drawn from DPI calls with 116, per Sports Info Solutions. For context, star receiver Ja'Marr Chase—who has been targeted 26 more times than Pickens—has drawn a DPI seven times this season and he's short of 80 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals) is second in the NFL with 105 yards off of four DPIs.

Lamb, though an elite wide receiver, has never been as effective drawing defensive pass interference calls. I would argue it's because of his relative lack of aggression going for the football in situations where the defender is making contact. Pickens, meanwhile, is always going for the ball. Sure, the routes they're asked to run are also different and George runs more go routes, but Lamb could learn from how he goes about it. CeeDee's career-high for a single season DPIs is five in 2021. He also had four in 2023 and three in 2024.

How can CeeDee get more? Though Pickens wasn't asked this directly, he explained why he's so good in those situations when talking to reporters ahead of Week 8.

George Pickens talks making DBs like they're panicking

Pickens cited his ability to show late hands—a technique wide receivers practice to attack the ball late when it's on the way to avoid defenders knowing where the ball is coming from—and punt return experience from high school being a major help for his ability to make over the shoulder catches. He added the late hands allow him to draw DPIs more easily.

"Because my body language is calm," Pickens explained. "The ball is in the air and [the defender] is kind of panicking, so it looks bad on his part."

I would find it very hard to be a DB and not panic when facing Pickens. The dude is absolutely crushing it and he's showing no signs of slowing down. He's learned from Lamb. I would venture to say No. 88 will also learn from him with the way he's playing though.

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