So the New York Giant’s season has not have gone as well as many had hoped for. New York has followed up their bye with back to back losses to Indianapolis and Seattle. The team is dealing with big injuries and a division that isn’t slowing down for anyone(Eagles 7-2, Cowboys 7-3).
But with all that has gone bad so far this season in the Giant’s universe, one star is certainly shinning bright. The Giants seem to have found “the guy” on offense. Rookie first-round pick, Odell Beckham Jr, has been playing like a star receiver lately. Although Beckham’s start with the Giants didn’t go as planned after he spent most of training camp and the first five games of the season out with a lingering hamstring injury, he is finally starting to pay off.
The 5’11 receiver out of LSU may not have the ideal size that your normal star wide receiver may have, but the man has the speed and hands to become one of the biggest threats in the league. In fact, he is already receiving praise for his production on the field. The Giants lost on Sunday in a game vs the Seattle Seahawks, but Beckham Jr had himself another 100 plus receiving game. After the rookie wideout put up a team-high seven catches for 108 yards despite facing an All-Pro cornerback in coverage for most of the afternoon, Richard Sherman, even the “best corner in the game” had to give it up to the rookie.
“[Odell] Beckham is a great player, so they had to depend on him and take risks and take shots in games like this,” Sherman said after the game. “He was able to get one earlier, which was a great play by him.”
Even Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll was impressed.
“I thought that he showed that he was a really good football player today, and they’ve got a great one in that kid.”
No question about that. So the next question is who would you compare him to thats playing in the league now. When comparing OBJ to other players at his position don’t think AJ Green and Megatron, think DeSean Jackson.
DeSean Jackson is 5’10 and has been a huge problem for many teams in the league, especially Beckham’s team, the New York Giants. Jackson played in all 16 games in his rookie year and had 62 receptions for 912 yds and two touchdowns. He averaged 14.7 yds per catch that year.
Now if you look at Beckham Jr’s season so far, through five games he is posting similar stats. In fact if he played all season playing like he is, he would be on pace to match Jackson’s numbers back in 2008 or top them. I mean, Beckham already has 3 touchdowns this year.
Through five games this year Beckham Jr has 25 grabs for 370 yards and is currently averaging 14.8 yards per reception. The numbers and their physique are very alike, but their style of play is what puts them in the same class if you ask me.
Both players show “flashes” after the ball is in their hands. Their simple skill of quick change of direction mixed with their elite speed put them in a very small class of receivers that can simply change a 10 yard first-down catch into a 50 yard touchdown catch.
What makes it even more interesting is that many people thought before the draft that Beckham was the perfect replacement for Jackson after being dropped by the Eagles. If the Giants didn’t take him would the Eagles have found a way to grab him? That’s something the Giants didn’t want to find out and took the receiver over what many experts thought should’ve been, now Dallas guard Zach Martin. Both Beckham and Martin are turning out to be great picks, but imagine if they allowed Philadelphia to grab him? That might have been the best reason to take Beckham because if he went to Philly who knows how people would stop them.
Even with Victor Cruz on the team, New York has been desperate for that true star wideout that Beckham might just shape up to be. So next time Giants fans gets upset over the team’s record, just remember that OBJ is only a rookie and with more time and experience he may just become the best wide receiver in the NFL. The sky is most certainly the limit when it comes to #13.
Bobby O’Hara:PureSportsNY