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By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: Lamb didn’t get the attention of teammate Hollywood Brown in 2018, but Lamb was very good for the Sooners over that season. On the year, he hauled in 65 receptions for 1,158 yards with 11 touchdowns. His average of 17.8 yards per catch illustrated his ability to produce big plays for quarterback Kyler Murray. In 2017, Lamb totaled 46 receptions for 807 yards and seven scores with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
Oklahoma struggled to get Lamb as many targets with Jalen Hurts at quarterback in 2019, but Lamb didn’t complain and was a good teammate. He also made the most of his opportunities while providing a lot of clutch plays to produce points and help lead his team into the college football playoff. In 2019, Lamb totaled 62 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Lamb is a very polished receiver whose route-running is advanced. With his precise feet and ability to avoid wasted steps, Lamb consistently generates separation from his route-running. Along with getting open, Lamb has very good hands and is able to use his frame to make contested catches.
Lamb is very dangerous with the ball in his hands. He uses his well-built frame to break tackles and is very difficult for a lot of defensive backs to get on the ground. His strength to run through their hands makes it difficult for them to get a hold of him. While he isn’t a burner, he has a second gear to run away from defenders in the open field and is an elusive runner in space. Lamb has good feet and moves to change direction. Whenever Lamb touches the ball, he is a dangerous threat to rip off a long gain because of his tremendous run-after-the-catch skills. Via his great skills with the ball in his hands, Lamb is a dangerous punt returner. His NFL team probably won’t use him much in that role to protect him from injury, but Lamb does bring that added value and could go back to return punts in critical situations.
Team sources say Lamb has the body and physique of a No.1 receiver in the NFL. While he has quality size, Lamb does not have mismatch speed ,according to team evaluators, and he is not as fast as say a Julio Jones or A.J. Green. While Lamb is not overly fast, but he uses polished footwork and some suddenness to create separation. His route-running generates separation and makes up for the lack of elite speed.
With his route-running and hands, Lamb looks like mismatch receiver who could be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. His excellent route-running has him very polished for a college receiver entering the NFL. Some team sources have compared Lamb to Arizona Cardinals star wideout DeAndre Hopkins or Green Bay’s Davante Adams.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, Lamb looks safe to get selected in the top dozen picks.
Player Comparison: Davante Adams. Lamb has a lot of similarities to Adams, as they are both dynamic after the catch and combine good route-running and hands. Once Lamb adds some weight to his frame, he could top out nearly identical to Adams (6-1, 215) as well. Adams was a better route-runner coming out, but Lamb is more physical and has more fight to him.
RELATED LINKS:
2020 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
2020 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2020 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 16
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
