By now, the casual fan probably knows Odell Beckham, Jr.’s name from any one of his countless absurd catches, but most likely the one-handed over-the-head touchdown snag from last season. But, fresh off another great performance (seven catches, 166 yards, two TDs, including this crazy catch) in a critical win against the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, the Giants wide receiver continues to prove that he’s not just good for the occasional spectacular catch.
In fact, Beckham, Jr. has already become one of the league’s most consistent and feared wide receivers… and he’s still just 23 years old. The Giants’ victory on Monday was OBJ’s 25th career game, and, through those first 25 games, the wideout has managed to do things that no other receiver has done before in the history of the league.
Through 25 NFL games, Giants' WR Odell Beckham Jr. now has more receptions and more receiving yards than any player in NFL history.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 15, 2015
That’s right, Beckham’s 173 receptions and 2,528 receiving yards are the most ever recorded by a receiver through 25 games, while his 24 touchdown receptions have him second all-time. Only Bill Groman had more, with 27.
From ESPN:
For more recent context, Beckham Jr. has 427 more receiving yards through 24 career games than any other player through 25 career games in the past 15 seasons. Victor Cruz (2,032), Boldin (1,969) and A.J. Green (1,968) put up great numbers to begin their careers, but none of them were within 20 receiving yards of Beckham Jr.’s per-game average at the same point in their careers.
To put it into even more perspective, we took a look at the numbers through the first 25 games for some of the all-time greats, plus some of Beckham’s elite peers today.
Beckham – 173 catches, 2,528 yards, 24 touchdowns
Randy Moss – 110 catches, 1,957 yards, 23 touchdowns
Jerry Rice – 94 catches, 1,801 yards, 12 touchdowns
Marvin Harrison – 97 catches, 1,218 yards, 10 touchdowns
Calvin Johnson – 93 catches, 1,595 yards, 11 touchdowns
Dez Bryant – 96 catches, 1,357 yards, 15 touchdowns
Antonio Brown – 85 catches, 1,275 yards, 2 touchdowns
Larry Fitzgerald – 119 catches, 1,634 yards, 13 touchdowns
Anquan Boldin – 154 catches, 1,969 yards, 9 touchdowns
Pretty incredible, right? Now, that’s not to say that Beckham is better than any one of those guys, but rather just appreciating how special he has been so early in his career. Obviously, every player enters the league in a different situation, some allowing them to flourish more quickly than others.
Will Beckham, Jr. keep up his record-breaking pace and remain a consistent deadly threat as his career progresses further? That’s impossible to predict, but you should make sure to appreciate him right now, because no receiver in the history of the league has been better or more fun to watch through their first few seasons.
