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CeeDee Lamb ranked among the league’s best
Chris Jones-Imagn Images

It’s that time of year again. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped his annual wide receiver rankings, voted on by a blend of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.

Once again, Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is right where fans expect him to be: firmly inside the top five.

For the second straight year, Lamb lands at #4 overall, behind only the league’s most elite game-breakers.

Make no mistake, his peers around the league know what Dallas fans have known all along: CeeDee isn’t just one of the best. He’s built to be the best.

Here are some of the most glowing quotes from Fowler’s article, and why they should have Cowboys Nation feeling confident heading into 2025.

Excellent out of the slot. Easy mover. Can sink and bend.

There might not be a smoother operator in the NFL than CeeDee Lamb.

Coaches and scouts continue to marvel at how effortlessly he runs routes, especially from the slot, where he’s been devastating to opposing secondaries.

You want a third-down conversion? You want a big gain across the middle? You want your quarterback to have a guy who just flat-out wins one-on-ones in space?

That’s what CeeDee gives QB Dak Prescott every Sunday.

His ability to “sink and bend” refers to the technical side of route running.

Lamb can lower his hips and change direction on a dime, creating natural separation without needing to out-muscle defensive backs.

He’s part ballerina, part technician, and all problem for defensive coordinators.

Very good after the catch and excellent ball-carrier vision.

We talk a lot about route running and hands when evaluating receivers, but what separates Lamb is what he does after the ball hits his fingertips.

Lamb’s ball carrier vision would make some running backs jealous.

He sees lanes develop before they’re even open, navigates through traffic like a return man, and makes the first tackler miss more often than not.

Whether it’s a screen pass, a quick slant, or a broken play, Lamb turns routine catches into highlight reels.

That vision, combined with his balance and burst, makes him one of the most dangerous YAC (yards after catch) threats in football.

Not bad for a guy some labeled “just a slot receiver” early in his career.

Making History

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate this stat: CeeDee Lamb has 496 receptions in his first five NFL seasons.

That’s the second-most all-time for any wide receiver through Year 5, trailing only Michael Thomas, who had 510.

Read that again. Not Jerry Rice. Not Randy Moss. Not Larry Fitzgerald. Not even Dez Bryant. Only Michael Thomas.

Lamb’s consistency, availability, and production have put him on a Hall of Fame pace.

With Dak Prescott still slinging it and the league now leaning even heavier into pass-first systems, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if CeeDee ends up with the most catches ever through six seasons.

At this point, there’s no debating it: CeeDee Lamb is one of the best receivers in football, and he’s still climbing.

No. 4 today? Maybe. But Cowboys fans know the truth: if he keeps up this pace, it won’t be long before he’s #1.

This article first appeared on Inside The Star and was syndicated with permission.

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