CeeDee Lamb falls short on ESPN’s Top-10 Wide Receiver rankings

Last night was a beautiful evening in South Texas. Believe it or not, the 100+ degree temperatures give way to a cool breeze and portrait-worthy sunset around 8pm. It’s time that my family and I love to spend outside enjoying our new home on our small one-acre ranch.

It’s a big difference from where we lived before, and the biggest difference is the space for my kids to play. My seven-year-old son loves sports. Soccer is the only organized sport he has played, but he has taken a growing interest in football.

He was a natural at soccer and appears to be a natural at football as well. He has a strong arm and a tight spiral to be a quarterback, but his favorite players (aside from Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes) are all wide receivers.

His favorite wide receiver is Miami’s Tyreek Hill, but Dallas Cowboys star WR CeeDee Lamb is a close second. Unfortunately, NFL executives, coaches, and scouts don’t even have Lamb ranked in the top three.

The other day we talked about where Cowboys QB Dak Prescott landed on the list voted on by these same people. In an article written by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tallying votes from across the league, CeeDee Lamb landed fourth on the list of the NFL’s top wide receivers.

Like Dak Prescott’s ranking on the quarterback list, I think Lamb should be ranked higher.

Some say disrespect is the biggest motivator for success. If that’s the case, CeeDee Lamb should eclipse the records he set last season.

4. Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb

The 2023 season was a breakout year for CeeDee Lamb. He set franchise records for targets (181), receptions (135), and receiving yards (1,749) on his way to his first All-Pro selection.

Lamb has seen his numbers increase each year since his rookie season and his ascension to one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL has been exciting to watch as a Cowboys fan.

He has certainly lived up to the double eights on his jersey, bringing the same level of talent, desire, and play-making ability as his three main predecessors: Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant.

One NFL scouting director said, “he was able to move around the formation more this year, specifically outside, and he consistently won in critical situations throughout the course of the year.

“He proved to be a do-it-all receiver. He has great hands and outstanding pace in his routes and setup that gives defensive backs problems.”

Lamb just broke into the top-10 on this list last season over wide receivers like Mike Evans and Tee Higgins. Landing fourth on this list is a huge jump, but the sky is the limit for him.

The scouting director said it right. “He proved to be a do-it-all receiver.”

Fans of a certain green divisional team swear that Lamb is only successful because he works primarily out of the slot. They are just coping because Eagles’ WR A.J. Brown came out sixth on the same list.

CeeDee Lamb led the NFL in Yards After Catch with 680 and 80 of his 135 receptions resulted in a first down, good enough to rank second in the NFL.

ESPN’s Full Top-10 NFL Wide Receiver List

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

You can make a case for Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson to appear ahead of Lamb on this list, but I just don’t see how anything besides potential has Ja’Marr Chase ranked at number three.

At the very least, this list will cause a stir on Twitter/X for people like me who believe CeeDee Lamb needs to be in the top three.