Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb Declares for 2020 NFL Draft After CFP Loss to LSU

One of the best playmakers in college football is headed to the professional ranks.  

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver CeeDee Lamb declared for the 2020 NFL draft on Sunday, a day after the Sooners lost to LSU in the College Football Playoff semifinal:

Lamb has been a difference-maker for Oklahoma since he arrived as a 4-star recruit and the No. 24 overall wide receiver in the class of 2017, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He tallied 46 catches for 807 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman, helping lead the Sooners to the College Football Playoff in the process.

Those 807 receiving yards set a school freshman record.

He was even better in 2018 with 65 catches for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns as a second-team All-Big 12 selection. Oklahoma once again reached the CFP on the back of its dynamic offensive attack.

Marquise Brown's departure to the NFL prior to the 2019 campaign elevated Lamb to No. 1 receiver status, and he wasted little time taking advantage of it. He finished the year with 62 catches for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns, standing out with a three-touchdown game in the rivalry win over Texas and another in a win over Texas Tech.

There is plenty to like about how Lamb's game translates to the pros.

Even if his straight-line speed is something of a question mark, he has the burst to beat press coverage, shiftiness in the open field to turn a short bubble screen or underneath route into a game-changing touchdown and the elusiveness to make tacklers miss in space.

He is also 6'2" with the athleticism to high-point passes in the end zone as a traditional red-zone threat if needed. His route-running ability and hands also stand out.

In November, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Lamb as the No. 9 overall prospect on his big board with a head-turning player comparison of DeAndre Hopkins, who is one of the best receivers in the league.

"Lamb has been absolutely amazing as a route-runner and yards-after-catch playmaker in an Oklahoma offense that has relied heavily on the junior receiver under a quarterback who isn't as prolific as Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray before him," Miller wrote. "... What he does offer is a toughness that's undeniable and an ability to extend his catch radius to make the big play."

NFL teams will jump at the chance to add a skill set like that come draft day.