Odell Beckham Jr.: A Closer Look at the LSU WR

By: Justin Partlow

Odell Beckham was always seen as one of the more exciting receivers in college football with his ability to change the game, both on offense and on special teams. This year though, Beckham really had his coming out party under the watchful eye of Cam Cameron at OC. While being a much-maligned NFL OC, Cameron was able to get the best out of his QB, Zach Mettenberger, and that translated into very good years out of Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. Beckham has the ability to transform into a very good WR in the NFL, and below I’ll take a look at how he can do that

Route Running:

When looking at a WR in depth you want to see the intricacies and what he does well and needs to improve on, besides looking at the actual catches. When you watch Beckham, you see someone who has refined his route running the past year, but also has some wasted movements in his routes, and will at times round off his routes. While not a major concern, Beckham will need to work on this in the NFL in order to gain a competitive advantage over his defenders he’ll face. Also on film when you watch Beckham, you see someone who when he runs the correct routes, will be very explosive in and out of his breaks. When Beckham plays with confidence in his route running, he can be an absolute terror for defenders with his impressive short area quickness he shows. Look for an NFL WR Coach to work on the intricacies with Beckham’s route running and turn him into a more dynamic version than he shows now

Catching Ability:

Simply put, Odell Beckham Jr. has ridiculously big hands. It’s impressive to see just how easy some of the catches that Beckham can make on film. There’s the infamous kickoff play where he literally one hands the kick off for a touchback. Beckham is very impressive with his hands and when he doesn’t have small concentration lapses, will make any catch look routine. Between him and Jarvis Landry, they were able to make up for someone of the poor throws that Mettenberger would have. Simply put here, Beckham isn’t someone you thoroughly need to worry about with his catching ability.

Special Teams Ability:

This is what will help Beckham with his transition to the NFL. Beckham is a dynamic athlete in the return game, but at the same time does have errors with making cut back decisions that lead to some poor returns. When Beckham trusts his blocks and gets upfield, he can be one of the most dynamic players in the NFL with his ability to be so elusive, despite not having elite speed. Teams will look for this to be the part that they can use early on while transitioning and working on his route running in order for him to be successful. Beckham has the making of at worst being an elite special teams player, but with how well he plays overall, he can truly be one of the more dynamic players in the NFL.

Overall:

Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the more fun WR’s to watch in the 2014 NFL class with his abilty to affect the game in so many ways. With his elusive ability, explosive short area quickness, and his ability to make hard catches look routine, Beckham offers a package that is rare for someone at his height. Look for an NFL team to take Beckham early on and utilize his game changing ability while refining his overall WR ability that he shows flashes of so many times on film.