CeeDee Lamb vs George Pickens comparison is closer than fans may think

CeeDee Lamb might have better overall numbers, but is he really that far ahead of George Pickens?

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens runs after a catch against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys swung a blockbuster trade earlier this offseason, adding George Pickens to the mix at wide receiver.

Pickens is easily the best WR2 the Cowboys have paired with CeeDee Lamb since he supplanted Amari Cooper as the top option in the passing game. Then again, he might not even be a WR2.

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According to Lamb, the Cowboys don't even have a 1 and 1A situation. Instead, he says he and Pickens are both No. 1 wideouts. That's a bold statement, but a quick look at the numbers suggests Lamb isn't incorrect in his assessment.

Let's look at the two when it comes to production per target. In his career, Pickens has had 293 passes come his way and he has 174 receptions for 2,841 yards with 13 touchdowns. That means he has averaged 9.69 yards per target with a touchdown on roughly 4.5 percent of those targets.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Lamb has been more productive with 496 receptions for 6,339 yards with 38 touchdowns. He's accomplished this on 720 passing targets, giving him 8.8 yards per target while scoring on 5.3 percent of the time the ball is thrown his way.

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These numbers prove that while Lamb is the more productive player overall, and gets into the end zone with more frequency, Pickens picks up more yards per target. Throw in the fact that he's spent much of his career with Kenny Pickett throwing him the ball while Lamb has had Dak Prescott, and the gap might be even closer than the numbers suggest.

So perhaps the Cowboys do have two No. 1 wide receivers, which is a problem any team would be thrilled to have.

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