Odell Beckham Jr. is an NFL wide receiver, most recently for the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Before tearing up NFL defenses, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native starred at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans. From there, he stayed at home for college by committing to Louisiana State University. LSU’s offense was anemic during Beckham’s tenure, but he still mustered a robust 34.5-percent college dominator rating (67th-percentile), 19.5 yards per reception (92nd-percentile), 19.8-year-old breakout age (67th-percentile), 2,340 yards, and 12 touchdowns off of 143 receptions.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s college production, robust frame, and immense talent which includes 4.43 speed prompted him to declare for the 2014 NFL Draft, where the New York Giants selected him with the 12th overall pick of the draft in the first round. It didn’t take long for Beckham to cement himself as a superstar. Beckham rattled off 91 receptions, 1,305 yards, and 12 touchdowns in his first pro season, becoming the fourth rookie in NFL history to register at least 1,300 yards and the first to haul in at least 90 receptions and 10 touchdowns. The crazy part is Odell did this while missing four games! Beckham replicated these numbers over the next two seasons as well to make finishing in the top 10 among wide receivers look routine and made his case as the best receiver in the NFL.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s talent has never been in question. But if there’s anything that has held him back, it is injury and poor synergy with quarterbacks. Those two reared their ugly heads over Beckham’s next four years. In 2017, Beckham fractured his left ankle, which ended his season after four games. He missed four more games in 2018 but did manage to eclipse 1,000 yards again. After that season, he got traded to the Cleveland Browns to play with Baker Mayfield. Those two never seemed to get on the same page, however. In his first season as a Brown, Beckham did clear 1,000 yards again, but only managed to haul in 55-percent of his targets from Mayfield. Similar misconnects continued in 2020, where Beckham hauled in 319 yards in seven games before tearing his ACL. He missed the rest of the season and the first two of the 2021 season. But after another slow start where Beckham eclipsed 30 yards in a game just twice in six games, he registered only a 72.7-percent snap share, racked up 110 yards after the catch (No. 89), and 15 deep targets (No. 40), Beckham requested a trade. After that did not come to fruition, he was released. Odell Beckham's ADP heading into the 2021 was the WR28. Suddenly, he was a free agent
Plenty of suitors went after Odell Beckham Jr., but the Los Angeles Rams were the ones to emerge victoriously. The signing could not have been more timely for the Rams; days after they signed Beckham, star receiver Robert Woods tore his ACL. Beckham immediately filled Woods’ shoes. In 12 games including the playoffs, Beckham scored seven touchdowns and went for at least 50 yards in six of them. Beckham was on pace to rip the Cincinnati Bengals apart in the Super Bowl too. He brought in his first two targets, which went for 52 yards and a touchdown. But, injuries came back to bite again at the worst possible time, when he hurt his knee trying to bring in his third target of the game. Luckily, the Rams were able to hold on despite the unfortunate injury. Odell Beckham Jr. finished as a Ram and a champion in 2021.
Due to his second career ACL injury that he suffered in the Super Bowl, Beckham spend time rehabbing and working back from the injury in 2022. He did not sign with a team for the 2022 season. In the 2023 offseason, Beckham signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens with the hope that he will be a key target for Lamar Jackson. Despite his injury history, Beckham is still a highly regarded and respected player in the league with the tools to produce in the above-30 portion of his career.
