FRISCO, Texas – The expectations aren't going anywhere but up, so CeeDee Lamb may as well embrace them.
The Cowboys' first-round draft pick appeared on NFL Network on Monday, following his third professional practice – and his third-straight day looking the part of a big-time draft pick.
Of course, since it was NFL Network, Lamb had the honor of talking to fellow Cowboys – and fellow No. 88 – Michael Irvin, who asked him about the pressure of donning that iconic number.
"The pressure is definitely there," Lamb said. "You can feel it in the room. You can feel it in the air. But I feel like pressure breaks pipes, and I feel I'm all for it. I'm excited."
The rookie isn't alone in that regard. The Cowboys have only practiced three times at this camp, but Lamb has already shown the ability that made him such a highly-rated draft prospect. He nabbed a one-handed catch Friday morning, and he has followed that up with impressive playmaking ability in each of the last two practices.
"CeeDee is just so smooth," said Cowboys chief operations officer Stephen Jones. "He's so abrupt in and out of cuts and getting up the field once he catches the ball. It's been so impressive to see him."
If that wasn't high enough praise, also consider that Jones allowed that it's rare to see a rookie hit the ground running the way Lamb has to this point. Granted, those are the expectations that come with being the No. 17 overall pick, but the Cowboys seem to feel as though Lamb is hitting that mark.
"You certainly expect that too when you pick these guys first in the draft. Of course we had Lamb way up our board in terms of how we looked at him in terms of his receiving class," Jones said. "There are high expectations there, but in my mind he's lived up to expectations up to this point."
It has been noticed on the field, as well. As one of the focal points of the Cowboys' offense these last four years, Ezekiel Elliott said he's excited to have another weapon in the huddle.
"Today, he had a great day," Elliott said. "He was out there moving around, just catching the ball in traffic, catching on the run. He's really electric."
It's obviously a lot of hype for a guy who's three practices in to his NFL career. But in this situation, the hype isn't going away, regardless. On the bright side, at least Lamb is living up to it thus far.
