Can Dorial Green-Beckham Have a Bigger Freshman Impact Than Sammy Watkins Did?

During the 2011 college football season, we saw an abundance of freshmen players step up and make a big impact for their teams when counted on. 

Oregon RB De’Anthony Thomas, North Carolina RB Giovani Bernard, Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater, USC WR Marqise Lee, South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney, Notre Dame DE Aaron Lynch, Tennessee LB A.J. Johnson and Auburn C Reese Dismukes are just a few of the freshmen players who made a name for themselves in their first season on the field last year.

There was one freshman in particular, though, who simply stood out above the rest and that was Clemson WR Sammy Watkins, who became an instant sensation and dark-horse Heisman contender with his eye-opening exploits during Clemson’s remarkable transformation from preseason unranked afterthought into ACC champion.

In his first season as a Tiger, Watkins hauled in 82 passes for 1,219 yards, ran the ball 32 times for 231 yards and added a spark in the return game, averaging 25 yards per kickoff return.

By the time the season ended, the 6’1’’, 180-pound freshman had accumulated 2,297 total yards and 13 touchdowns.

No one was expecting those kinds of numbers from Watkins before the season started, but his breakout freshman campaign wasn't really all that shocking, considering Watkins was one of the top-rated receivers of the 2011 recruiting class.

It was obvious the former 5-star prospect was loaded with talent, but the fact that he was so good so quickly was a bit awe-inspiring.

It makes you wonder, as we continue to dissect the 2012 recruiting class in this week before national signing day, if there’s anybody in this year’s crop of recruits who is capable of having a Sammy Watkins-type of impact next season.

One player that immediately sticks out is top-rated receiver recruit Dorial Green-Beckham (Hillcrest HS, Missouri), one of the most physically gifted high school football prospects we’ve seen in over a decade.

Green-Beckham has been one of the stars of the 2012 recruiting class for the past year, as everyone has remained amazed by the 6’6’’, 220-pound physical specimen.

The 5-star recruit is considered to be either the No. 1 overall recruit or at the very least one of the five best in the country by every major recruiting service, and if you’ve seen him play, it’s easy to see why.

D.G.B. is truly a special talent, and he's the type of receiver prospect that only comes along every few years, and no matter where he ends up—whether it’s at Arkansas, Missouri or someplace else—he’s got a great chance to be an immediate star for an offense.

With his combination of size, speed, hands, leaping ability and god-given natural athleticism, Green-Beckham is truly a matchup nightmare for every cornerback that draws the unfortunate task of getting in his way.

We'll first have to see what school he decides to commit to (Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are his five finalists) before we can go forecasting the type of immediate impact he’ll have, but with his type of rare ability, there’s no question that Green-Beckham should make an absolute splash for whichever offense is lucky enough to land his services.

Only time will tell if he'll ultimately become the 2012 version of Sammy Watkins, but one thing's for sure: Wherever the All-American recruit ends up, people will surely be watching to see what he's capable of.