Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb 'Mature Beyond His Years,' Says HC Mike McCarthy

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy heaped praise upon rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on Friday.

According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, McCarthy called Lamb "mature beyond his years" and added: "You can see it from Day 1. Clearly understands the components of being a professional, just the way he communicates, the way he goes about the meetings, the way he interacts, the way he asks questions."

The No. 17 overall pick is off to a strong start, reeling in 11 receptions for 165 yards through two games.

After a solid debut in Week 1 with five grabs for 59 yards, Lamb broke out in last week's 40-39, come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Falcons with his first 100-yard game, as he made six catches for 106 yards.

Lamb was essentially a luxury pick for the Cowboys in the first round since they already had Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup as their top two receivers. As such, Lamb was expected to be no better than the No. 4 option on offense behind Cooper, Gallup and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The offense still primarily runs through Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott, but Lamb is rivaling Cooper as Prescott's favorite target in the passing game. He sits second behind Cooper for the team lead in receptions and receiving yardage.

Lamb was a star collegiately at Oklahoma and posted over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his final two seasons with the Sooners. His best season came in 2019 when he finished with 62 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a rushing score.

He is a big play waiting to happen. While the Cowboys may not have wanted or expected to draft a wide receiver in the first round, the pick has paid dividends and made a talented Dallas offense even more potent.

McCarthy will need to put that talent to work Sunday when the 1-1 Cowboys face a 2-0 Seattle Seahawks team that is putting up big scoring numbers behind the play of quarterback Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks are second in the NFL with 36.5 points per game, and Wilson is arguably the MVP front-runner with 610 yards, nine touchdowns and just one interception.

If the Cowboys are going to pull off the road upset against a potential Super Bowl contender, they may need another big game from Lamb.