"I wouldn't put CeeDee in the top 10 of receivers" - Shannon Sharpe grills NFL analyst over his views on Cowboys star

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe does not share the same beliefs on Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb as Bob Sturm, a writer for The Athletic. In a recent article, Sturm labelled Lamb as a top-five receiver in the NFL.

The former Oklahoma star is coming off a year that saw him catch 79 passes for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns. Lamb is now poised to become Dallas' number one receiver with Amari Cooper traded to Cleveland.

Sharpe, however, does not share the same views as Sturm. The three-time Super Bowl champ doesn't have Lamb among the top-10 receivers in the NFL.

Sharpe said on Fox Sports' Undisputed:

"I wouldn't put CeeDee (Lamb) in the top 10 of receivers. He's not better than Jefferson. He's not better than Kupp. He's not better than Adams. He's not better than Reek. He's not better than Ja'marr Chase. He's not better than Stefon Diggs. Do I need to keep going on and on and on before you get the picture?"

With the Cowboys opening up their season with two tough games - against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals, we will get a good idea of what Lamb can do against some of the best teams in the league.

Can CeeDee Lamb be the Cowboys' superstar on offense?

Dallas Cowboys v Minnesota Vikings

Having been targeted 120 times last year and catching 79, the former Oklahoma star had a catch percentage of 65.8% last year. Rondale Moore of the Cardinals had an 84.3% catch rate, Hunter Renfrow of the Raiders had a 79.9% rate, and Cooper Kupp had a 76.4% catch rate, as per teamrankings.com.

So if CeeDee has to become the guy that many think he needs to be for Dallas this year, he is going to have to up his catch rate.

The receiving core is considerably weaker than last year as there is no Amari Cooper or Cedric Wilson. Dak Prescott will have to rely on Lamb as well as tight end Dalton Schultz, rookie Jalen Tolbert, Michael Gallup (when he returns), Noah Brown, and gadget man KaVontae Turpin.

With one of the weakest schedules in the league, Dallas could easily win its division and secure a home playoff game in 2022. But for them to achieve that, Lamb needs to step up big time.

Can the first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft do it? Time will tell.