Foster grad and OU star CeeDee Lamb drafted by Cowboys.
Four area players taken in first round
For years, Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb tormented Texas colleges and high schools with his trademark elusiveness and acrobatic catches.
Now, the Foster graduate has returned to the state of Texas to provide a deep threat for the Dallas Cowboys.
Lamb joined the Cowboys as their first-round draft pick Thursday night as the 17th overall selection.
The consensus All-American has drawn frequent comparisons to former Texans All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Lamb’s ability to run after the catch is stellar. Lamb was the third wide receiver drafted after Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy went to the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos, respectively, and was overjoyed to get the congratulatory call from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
“It was unbelievable. I’m grateful for this opportunity,” Lamb
said. “For me to hear it was Jerry on the other end of that phone call, I was a little speechless. Now, I’m a fan of the Cowboys. It was a big surprise to me, but I’m definitely grateful.”
Lamb was the first of four former Houston area high school football standouts to be drafted in the first round, followed by LSU pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson (North Shore) 20th overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oklahoma middle linebacker Kenneth Murray (Elkins) 23rd overall to the Los Angeles Chargers and Texas Tech middle linebacker Jordyn Brooks (Stratford) 27th overall to the Seattle Seahawks.
Lamb caught 62 passes for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior last season.
At 6-2, 200 pounds, Lamb is a master of the contested catch, rising above defenders to high-point the football and has a huge catch radius.
“They’re getting a winner, a guy who loves to win and compete,” Lamb said. “I can’t wait to showcase my ability.”
Lamb is looking forward to teaming up with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
“It’s going to be huge on my end,” Lamb said. “They’re great guys to learn from and take adjustments from and talk to them as teammates. To have them as brothers, I can’t wait to be in the locker room with those guys.”
A native of New Orleans born in Opelousas, La., Lamb and his family relocated to Houston after Hurricane Katrina.
A former Houston Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year, Lamb had 98 catches for 2,032 yards — the fourth-highest total in state history — and 33 touchdowns as a senior at Foster and returned three punts for touchdowns.
“He’s competitive with great skills, tracks the ball very well,” said Tomball based trainer Rischad Whitfield, also known as the Footwork King. “CeeDee is similar to DeAndre Hopkins and Dez Bryant. He’s a violent runner with the ball in his hands and a tremendous blocker.”
When Foster coach Shaun McDowell watched Lamb elevate for a gamewinning Hail Mary touchdown catch, he became convinced that the wide receiver was destined for an NFL future.
Lamb was a sophomore on Oct. 23, 2014, when he caught an apparent touchdown in heavy traffic over three defenders. It didn’t count, though, as Foster was penalized for an illegal man downfield.
Seconds later, Lamb duplicated the feat with another Hail Mary touchdown that counted this time as Foster defeated Calhoun.
Lamb immortalized the play, which remains popular on YouTube, with a pair of tattoos on his left arm.
“I’ll never forget that for as long as I live,” McDowell said hours before the first round of the NFL draft. “CeeDee caught it over everybody. Amazing. That’s when it stood out that this guy is really special. He plays like he’s in ‘The Matrix.’”
Multiple NFL teams contacted McDowell to find out more about Lamb’s personality and character.
“CeeDee is going to blow it up,” McDowell said. “I think he’s going to take the league by storm. He’ll be a top No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL.
“Is he a wide receiver who wants the ball and is cocky and says, ‘Give me the damn ball?’ Yes, but he’s also a guy who is funny, smart, humble. People want to find out about his work ethic, which is very strong. They want to know if he loves football, and CeeDee does very much.”
A year after picking impactful outside linebacker Josh Allen, the Jaguars reinforced their pass rush with Chaisson.
The 20-year-old is an explosive defender, chasing down quarterbacks with a relentless style.
A hybrid linebacker/defensive end, was an honor roll student and team captain who wore the coveted No. 18 jersey LSU gives to a player who best represents the program on and off the field.
The 6-3, 254-pound redshirt sophomore was offered a scholarship by LSU before he ever took a varsity snap in high school. That occurred while he was attending the Tigers’ summer camp with a friend.
At LSU, Chaisson overcame a torn anterior cruciate ligament two years ago and had a resurgent season last fall. He was named firstteam All-Southeastern Conference, recording 60 tackles, 13 ½ tackles for losses and 6 ½ sacks. In just two full college seasons, Chaisson finished with 92 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 9 ½ sacks.
“The feeling right now, it feels amazing,” said Chaisson, who wore a Jaguars Tshirt during his training sessions with Whitfield in Tomball. “They’re getting a great all-around player, a great personality in the locker room, being the joy and light in the room and contributing in as many ways as possible.
“I’m excited. It finally came true. This is something I’ve been wanting for a long time, something me and my family deserve. It’s time to get to work.”
Murray delivered punishing tackles for the Sooners. Now, he’s taking that hardhitting, gritty style to the NFL.
He was drafted by the Chargers following a trade with the New England Patriots.
“I did it!” Murray wrote on social media three years after he predicted he would one day go in the first round.
A sculpted 6-2, 242 pounds, Murray was disappointed when he ran a 4.52 in the 40-yard dash at the combine while dealing with a partially strained hamstring. Murray, who also had a 38-inch vertical leap, had been hoping to run a low 4.4. It was still an incredibly fast time for a big linebacker.
A former Big 12 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year, Murray started all 42 of his games in college. He recorded 335 career tackles, 37 stops for losses and 9 ½ sacks.
“I don’t think they realize how smart a move they made by picking Kenneth when you look at it from an all-around perspective,” said Tim Boutte, Murray’s longtime trainer and family friend. “He has all the intangibles. He has the NFL linebacker prototype. He has great speed for a middle linebacker. He is ready to lead a locker room of grown men. A stopwatch can’t clock leadership. There aren’t enough reps of 225 pounds to measure someone’s heart. Los Angeles will look real smart in three or four years.”
Overshadowed by other linebackers during the evaluation process, Brooks wasn’t overlooked Thursday.
Brooks was a finalist for the Butkus Award as one of the nation’s top linebackers.
Although relatively short in stature at 6-foot, 240 pounds, Brooks is packed with power and is extremely fast. Brooks ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds.
He’s a classic run-andchase linebacker
A second-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 selection, Brooks recorded 108 tackles, 20 for losses and three sacks. Brooks was Texas Tech’s first All-American linebacker since Zach Thomas in 1995.
Brooks underwent shoulder surgery in December, preventing him from competing in the Senior Bowl allstar game. He made a full recovery, and now he’s a firstround draft pick.
“I was surprised that the Seahawks came and got me,” Brooks told Seattle reporters. “I hadn’t talked to them since the combine, so I wasn’t really expecting them to pick me. I’m forever grateful and I’m excited to come to Seattle.”