#7. Odell Beckham Jr.- When he was drafted in 2014, not many knew who he was or what he would become. Early in his rookie season, he was sidelined with a hamstring injury but when he was cleared to play, he took full advantage of the opportunity and had people talking. Does November 23rd, 2014 ring a bell to you? That was the night of the infamous one-handed catch that he made against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football that introduced us all to him. Since then, he’s become the focal point of the New York Giants offense, their best player, and Eli Manning’s top receiver. He’s OBJ to most football fans or better known as Odell Beckham Jr., the first of three wide receivers revealed, the fourth guy making his debut on the list and my seventh best player entering the 2017 season. The one term best used to describe him is the human highlight reel. He makes you ask yourself how did he do that and just wows you with the athleticism he displays. He reels in one-handed catches like a center fielder on the baseball field and makes it look effortless. He’s a special football player. He has the ability to jump higher than any other player on the field and leap up to get the football, no matter who’s defending him. He goes up and comes down with the ball and by far, he has some of the best hands in the league. Right handed or left handed, it doesn’t matter how he catches it. The one thing people don’t really discuss with his game is the balance and body control he displays. He’s extremely quick and crafty to get in and out of breaks, he can run his route, fake one way as if he’s going one direction and cut up the field and he’s wide open, the ball is headed in his direction, he makes the grab, the chains are moved, or he’s taking it to the end-zone for six. It doesn’t make a difference where he’s lined up. Whether it’s out wide or in the slot, he’s effective in more ways than one. Jamming him at the line isn’t necessarily the best thing to do as a cornerback because he’s able to handle the physicality and defending him in tight spaces is difficult as well unless you have the safety help over the top because he has the footwork to break away. You can even try to play off of him in a zone look and he’ll just use his speed to breeze right by you. The best way to defend him is to double team him. When you see him find a bit of space, you have to quickly get to where he is and double team him. Once the ball is in his hands, anything can truly happen. The slant route he ran against the Cowboys last year is a perfect example of anything happening. He runs a quick six route, Eli finds him and he turns the burners on and takes it to the end zone for six points. I like what he’s able to do after the catch. He’s a dangerous guy in open space. He can stiff arm a defender to get by, he can gain yards on a simple catch and of course, there’s the possibility of him scoring. We’ll be talking about this guy for years and years, even after he’s done playing. He’s become such an exciting player to watch.
