Who knows?
Who knows if the Giants landed a big-play receiver who can perfectly compliment Victor Cruz and provide Eli Manning with a much-needed threat on the outside, the sort of player they had for a few years with Hakeem Nicks, a 2009 first-round pick?
Who knows if Odell Beckham Jr. will follow in Nicks’ footsteps and become a major force in the passing game and help lead the Giants to a Super Bowl victory? All the Giants know after making Beckham their first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft is they had him rated extremely high as a player, he has no character issues and has shown himself to be a hard worker and a productive player at LSU. They know his parents were superior athletes and the general consensus had Beckham as the third-best receiver in the draft, behind Sammy Watkins of Clemson and Mike Evans of Texas A&M.
Of course, that does not mean Beckham actually will turn out to be the third-best receiver in the draft. That’s not the way it works.
Already, there are those who believe the Giants pick might have struck gold with the 12th overall. Gary Danielson, the former NFL quarterback and a college football analyst for CBS Sports, likes Beckham better than Evans. Danielson believes Beckham is a better athlete a better route runner and the towering Evans might have some trouble getting off the line of scrimmage against NFL defenses.
Gil Brandt ran the draft for the Cowboys for nearly three decades and currently is a senior personnel analyst for the NFL. He goes even further than Danielson, putting Beckham atop the list of receivers in this year’s draft.
“Odell Beckham brings the entire package as a versatile football player,’’ Brandt said. “He is the best college receiver in the country and the best kick and punt returner in the country.
“He’s a devastating blocker and has the speed and size to make outstanding plays in tough situations, which he demonstrated on a consistent basis in the big games in the toughest league in the country. He’s also a quality individual with a terrific attitude and work ethic.’’
Beckham’s coach at LSU, Les Miles, was in town for the draft and took in the Mets game Friday night at Citi Field.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him miss a practice,’’ Miles told The Post. “It was just rare. He loved practice. He was a team leader. Games when we needed a big play, he was that guy.
“The rules in the NFL will really benefit him. He’s going to be able to be a guy who can create space with his speed and his catch radius. I think he and Eli will have a nice chemistry with both being Louisiana guys.’’
There aren’t many knocks on Beckham, but the one that bothers some scouts is his size — 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds. A receiver under six-foot is no issue when he’s lined up in the slot, but the Giants are adamant that Beckham is an outside receiver and he can be a strong compliment to Victor Cruz, who is not much bigger at 6-foot and 204 pounds.
When Cruz was a free agent looking for a lucrative new contract, he marketed himself as an outside receiver even though he lined up in the slot the majority of the time. Though Cruz is a starter and a featured receiver, the Giants in many ways still believe he does his best work inside, which means he could find himself in the slot this season, with Beckham and Rueben Randle on the outside.
“Victor is an inside receiver, [Beckham] is an outside receiver,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said. “[Beckham] has more speed than Victor on the outside. I don’t think they are similar, I think [Beckham] said he likes Victor because they are similar in size. He is a little bit taller than Victor maybe. His body type and the way he moves around on the field are what I think [Beckham] likes about Victor, but I think they are two different receivers.’’
The key for any offense is to possess receivers that show different skill-sets to opposing defenses. Beckham is the fastest of the bunch, Randle at 6-foot-2 is the tallest and might be the best leaper and Cruz is an expert route-runner and especially tough to deal with after the catch.
Cruz before the draft said he hoped the Giants would use their first-round pick on a receiver, no doubt thinking back on all those double-teams he faced as Nicks’ physical decline took hold. Cruz wanted Evans because he is such a big, imposing target. If Beckham can take some of the defensive attention away from Cruz, no doubt he will learn to appreciate the rookie in a hurry.