Pro Bowl teases Murray/Lamb NFL connection that should have been

If you were part of the few that opted to tune into Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl event, you likely saw a quarterback/receiver combination reunite after a near three-year absence. Former Oklahoma Sooner standouts Kyler Murray and CeeDee Lamb were up to their old tricks again, as the now NFL stars put their talents on display in the league’s annual all-star game.

Murray, who managed to bounce back from an early “pick-six”, connected with Lamb on four separate occasions including a second quarter two-point conversion. The former All-American pairing are still incredibly close dating back to their time together in Norman. During Murray’s 2018-19 Heisman Trophy winning season, it was Lamb who emerged as a redshirt freshmen following injury to fellow receiver Hollywood Brown.

Your reminder that the Valley was robbed of Kyler Murray to CeeDee Lamb on a regular basis… pic.twitter.com/S7lOhb66wC

— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) February 6, 2022

Fast-forward a year later, as Murray’s Cardinals were set to pick eighth in the upcoming draft, and the young gunslinger made it known to his organization that the club should strongly consider Lamb with their first-round pick.

“Me and CeeDee have a great relationship,” Murray told the Arizona Republic in February of 2020. “That’s one of my boys. I would obviously be very fond of that pick.”

Murray had just completed a rookie campaign in which his leading receiver was a then 36-year-old Larry Fitzgerald with just over 800 yards. While the Cardinals had a promising in-house talent in second-year man Christian Kirk, it was obvious that the team lacked an alpha on the outside that could dominate coverage from opposing teams. Lamb spent the 2019 college football season abusing the Big 12, netting over 1300 yards in just 13 games played while averaging an absurd 21.4 yards per catch. Heading into the 2020 draft, Lamb was thought to be a consensus top 20 selection alongside Alabama pass catchers Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy.

Even from afar during his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, it was obvious to all that Murray was keeping tabs on his former Oklahoma teammate.

“We have a very comfortable relationship,” said Murray. “I’ve played with him…I’ve been with him for years…I don’t think that would be a bad pick at all.”

While Murray pushed for a reunion in the desert, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim was busy courting then Texan’s coach/GM Bill O’Brien on a potential blockbuster deal that would send All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. On March 16th, in a trade that would send shockwaves throughout the NFL landscape, the Cardinals heisted Houston for the playmaking wideout in exchange for a measly second-round pick and RB David Johnson. By this point, any other additions to Arizona’s receiving core would be seen as gluttonous especially when you consider the team had just selected a total of three receivers in the 2019 draft.

In most fan’s eyes, the dream of a Murray/Lamb desert reunion died the day Hopkins became a Cardinal. And while that deal has grossly sided in Arizona’s favor, a legitimate argument could be made that the team would have also been best served selecting Lamb in conjunction with Hopkins. That’s because, when the Cardinals enter free agency this offseason, they’ll again be on the lookout for yet another impact receiver. Combine that with the fact that the team’s eventual selection with pick eight, Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, has mostly underwhelmed during his first two seasons with the club.

Meanwhile, it was “America’s Team” who netted perhaps the biggest steal of the 2020 first-round in securing Lamb all the way at pick number 17. With the Dallas Cowboys potentially looking to move off veteran Amari Cooper this offseason, it further cements their belief that Lamb will be the vocal point of their passing game moving forward. At just 22 years of age, the Louisiana native has averaged over one-thousand yards receiving in each of his first two seasons. His physical presence is undeniable, as is his ability to snatch the ball at it’s highest point. The unique and often times dominate traits that were routinely on display during Lamb’s time at Oklahoma have seamlessly translated to the NFL level.

Much like many of Keim’s draft picks, the decision to not reunite Lamb with Murray could very well be the GM’s undoing. In his nine seasons in charge of personnel, Keim has only successfully drafted a single one-thousand yard receiver in Pittsburgh State’s John Brown. The remainder of Keim’s picks have been a mixed bag of lost potential (Hakeem Butler) and flat out busts (Chad Williams).

Dating back to 2018, the Arizona Cardinals have used four consecutive second-round picks on wide receivers. None of them, sans for Hopkins, equal the talent of Lamb.

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