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Giants Roster Breakdown: Odell Beckham Jr., WR

How many catches will rookie Odell Beckham Jr. have in 2014?

Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Elsa

Let's continue our player-by-player breaking of the New York Giants 90-man training camp roster by turning the spotlight on first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr., a player the Giants are counting on to make an immediate impact.

2013 Season In Review

Beckham finished a stellar career at LSU by catching 57 passes for 1,117 yards (19.6 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. He averaged 10.1 yards on 14 punts returns and 26.9 yards on 30 kickoff returns. The Giants made him the 12th overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.

2014 Outlook

What should the Giants expect from Beckham? Will he star from Day 1? Will he struggle and be slow to make an impact, like many rookies? Will he end up somewhere in between? The answer will have a lot to do with determining just how good the Giants receiving corps is in 2014.

BBV's Fantasy Football expert, Dennis Esser, seemed to take the 'somewhere in between' stance in a breakdown of Fantasy expectations for Beckham's rookie season.

Beckham will be given every opportunity to join Justin Pugh and become the second straight Giants' first-round pick to start from Week 1. Here is general manager Jerry Reese talking about Beckham after the Giants made the pick:

"He brings a lot to the table for us. He's a dynamic receiver, dynamic punt returner and a dynamic kickoff returner. You are getting a guy that can score touchdowns in three different ways for you," Reese said. "He is that big speed that you need on the outside that can go get that ball. He is almost pro-ready. We obviously think he is going to get better with pro coaching, but we think he is pro-ready now. He is a terrific route runner, and we love the pick."

Will the Giants love the production from Beckham in 2014? There are some who believe that while Beckham's ceiling might not be as high as wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans -- the wide receivers drafted ahead of him -- that he is the most ready to contribute immediately. That would be outstanding news for a Giants team that needs help now.

Let's look at the first-year production of some of the other receivers the Giants have selected early in the NFL  Draft.

  • Reuben Randle (Round 2, 63rd overall, 2012) -- Randle had 19 receptions as a rookie.
  • Hakeem Nicks (Round 1, 29th, 2009) -- Nicks had 47 receptions for 790 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.
  • Steve Smith (Round 2, 51st, 2007) -- Smith had just eight receptions as a rookie.
  • Sinorice Moss (Round 2, 44th, 2006) -- Moss caught only five passes as a rookie.

Those are the wide receivers taken in the second round or higher since Tom Coughlin became head coach. The true measuring stick here has to be Nicks, the only first-round pick of the group and the player Beckham was actually drafted to replace. Nicks had 47 catches as a rookie, 56 (with zero touchdowns) last season and a career-best 79 in 2010.

Which of those numbers should we really be looking at as a comparison for Beckham? Well, we are discussing rookie seasons so let's use Nicks' 47 catches in 2009 as the over/under. Vote in our poll and tell us whether you think Beckham will surpass or fall short of that total in 2014.