CeeDee Lamb is First Cowboys Player on NFL Top 100 List But Isn't Ranked High Enough

CeeDee Lamb is the first Dallas Cowboys player to make the cut, but he's ranked far too low.

Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is the first player on the team to grace the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list that is compiled by votes from other players.

The problem is that he wasn't ranked high enough on the list, with Lamb coming in at No. 55. That amounts to a 20-spot fall from the No. 35 slot Lamb landed in last year when he was coming off a 1,194-yard, six-touchdown campaign.

Lamb, who has been ranked as high as No. 13 during his career, did see his production go down from the year prior after he had 1,077 yards and three touchdowns, but there is a good explanation for that.

The Cowboys star missed three games and exited two others early due to injury. He also barely played in Week 18 when the Cowboys pulled their starters early.

If not for all that, Lamb would have easily surpassed what he tallied in 2024, and he likely would have been Dallas' leading receiver, also.

No. 55 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@dallascowboys WR CeeDee Lamb! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/JFOcOzxsUk

— NFL (@NFL) July 22, 2026

That's what makes this ranking so short-sighted. It's not like Lamb wasn't as good as the 2024 version when he was on the field last season and a down year as a result of injury shouldn't have been held against him.

At the very least, Lamb should've remained in the top 50, but one can certainly argue he should have been right around where he was ranked last year, at worst.

Is George Pickens ranked higher than CeeDee Lamb?

Dallas Cowboys wide receivers George Pickens (3) and CeeDee Lamb (88). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We obviously can't say for sure with Pickens because Lamb is the first Cowboys player to make the cut, but one can assume that he will be after Pickens had a career year in 2025 en route to out-producing Lamb.

The problem with Pickens being ranked over Lamb is that his body of work makes him far less proven. One year simply isn't enough to put Pickens ahead of the Cowboys' true No. 1 target.

And we apply the same argument to the debate about whether or not Pickens is the Cowboys' new No. 1 receiver, especially when you consider Lamb didn't play a full season.

Who else could make the cut?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The players who could land ahead of Lamb on the NFL Top 100 list are Pickens, Dak Prescott, Tyler Smith and Quinnen Williams.

Prescott has made the cut seven times during his career, including in each of the past two seasons. Prescott's highest ranking came after his rookie season, when he landed in the No. 14 spot.

Williams has been a regular on the list since 2023, with rankings as high as Nos. 37 and 40. He did, however, fall to No. 87 in 2025. He's the least likely of the aforementioned group to be recognized after he registered less sacks than the year prior and didn't make the Pro Bowl, which might have hurt his stock with the voters.

Smith and Pickens have never made the cut during their careers, but that should change this year. Smith's entrance onto the list is long overdue after he has proven to be an elite guard since 2023, and Pickens shouldn't be denied after a career-best year.

NFL Network will continue rolling out the list when it reveals the next five on Thursday.