Cowboys Rookie Roundup: Lamb's 1000-Yard Pace, New Contributions, Diggs' Development
DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys 2020 NFL draft class, which was revered as one of the best in the league, is already making an impact on the field.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is on pace for a 1,000-yard season. Through three games, the first-round draft selection has caught 16 of 21 targets for 230 yards and one touchdown. Leading all rookies in receptions, Lamb is "mature beyond his years," says first-year coach Mike McCarthy.
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Cornerback Trevon Diggs also has provided some highlights amid a secondary that desperately needs to fix its communication errors quickly. Through three games, Diggs' best momentum-changing moment came in Seattle - A heads up play after getting burned down the field, Diggs punched the ball out of D.K. Metcalf's hands in the end zone, which turned a Seattle touchdown into a fumble.
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"Always finish, until the referee has his hands up and you hear that whistle blow," Diggs said after the game. "That was a hustle play. He had beat me but it was just not giving up."
Lamb's and Diggs' contributions as starters were widely expected... Last Sunday, a different rookie emerged as a player who could also earn a starting role.
Center Tyler Biadasz played the first extended action of his NFL career during the Cowboys loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Biadasz, who won the Rimington Trophy last season, entered the game late in the second quarter and totaling 52 snaps (63 percent) at the center spot. With Biadasz on the line, Dallas scored two second-half touchdowns and added a field goal.
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Injuries are creating a need for shifting on the Cowboys offensive line. Biadasz could be in for a bigger role if the Cowboys decide to move starting center Joe Looney to guard moving forward, as they did on Sunday. Biadasz is another Wisconsin Badger being groomed as retired Travis Frederick's eventual replacement.
A total of 10 rookies are on the Cowboys' 53-man roster:
- Lamb (first round)
- Diggs (second round)
- DT Neville Gallimore (third round)
- CB Reggie Robinson (fourth round)
- Biadasz (fourth round)
- DE Bradlee Anae (fifth round)
- QB Ben DiNucci (seventh round)
- RB Rico Dowdle (undrafted)
- TE Sean McKeon (undrafted)
- OT Terence Steele (undrafted)
The Cowboys host the Cleveland Browns (2-1) on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 12 p.m. CT.
