New York Giants: 15 G-Men who changed the game forever
By Ed Stein
5 – Odell Beckham Jr.
We live in a highlight reel driven society. Every athlete is looking for his or her SportsCenter moment. At a time when the New York Giants needed a star as they struggled for relevance in the NFC, they drafted Odell Beckham Jr. from Louisiana State University.
If a scientist were to build the ideal wide receiver, it would look something like OBJ. He’d be lanky, yet solidly built, fast, could make cuts on a dime, has great jumping ability with long arms and can grip the ball like Spiderman. The only things left to add that would make Beckham the complete dream package is he’d be slightly taller and a little more durable. One given is that if the ball is thrown to him, he’ll catch it, even if he needs to become a circus acrobat to do it.
Beckham already made a huge impact on the league since he was selected 12th overall in the 2014 draft. That season he was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and went on to be a three-time Pro Bowl selection. For his career, Beckham has 622 receptions for 5476 yards and 44 touchdowns. In 2019, he added something new to his repertoire by throwing a pair of touchdown passes on trick plays.
What put OBJ on the map is what put him on this list, his incredible one-handed (actually two fingers) touchdown catch on Sunday Night Football in November 2015 against Dallas. Since then other receivers at all levels of the game have been trying to repeat the feat. If a receiver can pull it off (and some have) it changes pass coverage dynamics and completion windows.
Even if one-handed grabs become more prevalent, none will be as monumental as the one Beckham pulled off. He may be a member of the Cleveland Browns now, but the catch will always remain with the Giants.