Odell Beckham Jr. Has Skill Set to Build Around for Giants

Odell Beckham Jr.’s touchdown catch on Sunday night versus the Cowboys was absolutely ridiculous.

What else can you say after watching the LSU product track the ball, adjust his body and extend with one hand to finish the play?

That was filthy. Highlight stuff that will live on for years when we talk about the greatest receptions in NFL history.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

But while that catch is still the talk of the league at the midway point of Week 13, let’s not forget about Beckham’s overall game and the immediate impact he’s brought to the New York Giants since returning from a hamstring injury.

In just seven pro games, Beckham has produced 41 receptions for 609 yards and five touchdowns.

Those are numbers you expect from your No. 1 guy, the top wideout on the roster or the player opposing defenses have to game-plan for.

Instead, those numbers are coming from a rookie at a position that usually beats players down a bit during the transition to the NFL level.

It’s not easy to jump on the field in the pros and win versus press coverage, create separation at the top of the stem or compete with veterans in the secondary that have a ton of experience outside of the numbers.

But that’s exactly what Beckham is doing when I watch the tape.

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Beckham’s route running isn’t perfect, but for a first-year player, it’s pretty clean when you watch him weave defenders through the stem, push cornerbacks down the field and accelerate out of his breaks to come back to the football.

A player with top-tier quickness, Beckham can win at the line of scrimmage because of his lateral movement versus press. That allows him to work the edge of defensive backs while creating leverage (or separation) on the comeback, curl, dig, slant, fade, etc.

Plus, we can’t talk about Beckham without mentioning his catch radius.

That’s where he displays the body control and ability to finish at the point of attack on throws outside his frame in both the intermediate and vertical passing game.

Here’s an example with Beckham running the comeback off the boot action versus the Cowboys’ Cover 3 scheme:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

With Brandon Carr playing off and to the outside (Cover 3 technique), Beckham weaves the cornerback through the stem, sinks at the top of the route and creates the separation needed to break back downhill on a 45-degree angle to the football.

This isn’t a great throw from Eli Manning, but the rookie adjusts to make this catch outside his frame for a first down.

Back in Week 10, Beckham beat Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman over the top on a double move (stutter-and-go) to produce an explosive play down the field:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Beckham sells the stutter move and then stacks on top of Sherman to establish position down the field. That’s a veteran route versus one of the top defensive backs in the league.

Beckham isn’t limited to playing outside the numbers, as the Giants will move the rookie inside to a slot alignment to generate matchups or work a specific combination (smash-seam, smash-7, etc.).

Take a look at Beckham aligned in the slot versus press coverage at the line of scrimmage on the fade route (smash-fade):

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

This is where Beckham displays that lateral quickness to beat the press look. That forces the nickel corner to open the gate (no jam, open and run at the snap) while Beckham establishes an outside leverage position to work down the field.

Plus, check out his ability to finish:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Go up and get it. And don’t be afraid to talk a little bit after the play. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with a receiver showing confidence on the field. You need that in the NFL.

Looking back through the tape, I would say Beckham’s ability to compete really stands out. He is aggressive, plays hard and I don’t see situations where he even thinks about backing down from veteran talent on the field.

This guy wants to make plays and brings excitement to the stadium.

Now, I can’t truthfully predict Beckham's career path after just seven games in the NFL. That’s neither fair nor realistic at this point. But I also can’t ignore what he is putting on tape.

Beckham has made a smooth transition to the pros and has a No. 1 skill set the Giants can eventually build around if he can stay healthy while producing at a consistent level.

In a rookie class that is loaded with talent at the wide receiver position, it’s easy to see that the arrow is pointing up on Beckham.

Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.

Follow @MattBowen41