I’ll be targeting Odell Beckham early in drafts this year and there’s no reason that you shouldn’t be as well. Yahoo! ranks Beckham as the 10th overall player on the board but I don’t necessarily see him going in a ton of first rounds nor will I be drafting him with my first round pick. Second round? You bet.
This is mainly due to my own draft strategy of never taking a WR in the first round due to the depth of the position. It’s just my own creed and there’s certainly a case to be made for Beckham as a first round selection. You also can't deny first-round value from someone who can do this...
His role late last year was a bit inflated with injuries plaguing Big Blue but you can bet Beckham will be utilized accordingly even with the return of Victor Cruz and the freshly acquired receiving-back Shane Vereen. It showed throughout the season that he was not a product of his situation when he went up against Richard Sherman and the Seahawks. Beckham conquered that secondary en route to a 7/108 line as part of his stellar rookie season. For clarification, I wouldn’t bet on anybody to crack the 100-yard mark against the Seahawks but if I was betting on somebody to do it, Beckham is pretty high on my list.
All OBJ did in his rookie year was shatter rookie receiving records, tie Michael Irvin for the most consecutive 90-yard games, which is still active, and solidify himself as an elite wide receiver. Another stat to keep in mind is his drop % is a mere 2.15%. He caught all but 2 of his 93 catchable passes, further solidifying his otherworldly talents. He’s the youngest player to appear on the Madden cover and he’s too talented and motivated to be troubled by any type of curse. Don’t let an already dispelled curse deter you from taking arguably the best receiver in the game, unless that curse is from Lil’ B, in which case I’d probably watch out.
....Oh right, he also made the greatest catch in NFL history.
The Giants will use Beckham's talents all over the field and from every position they can line him up at, so don’t be discouraged by the return of Cruz and entry of Vereen. All Eli Manning has to do is throw it to a region and the freak athlete will make the play. I’ll be looking for Beckham at the start of the second round and you should too. However, I wouldn’t scoff at any notion to grab him in the first round, as first round value is something that’s certainly feasible for Beckham. 91/1305/12 in 11 starts is someone I wouldn’t bet against.
I'll throw in one more for good measure.