EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams couldn't be happier with how their 13th overall selection in May's NFL draft worked out.
On the day it happened, the Rams were stunned -- in the best way possible -- that Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald fell into their laps. Donald has more than lived up to his draft position and made a strong case to be the defensive rookie of the year. But while Donald is more anonymously making his presence felt, such is the nature of his position, the man drafted before him is taking the league by storm.
Sunday's matchup between the Rams and Giants features two of the league's best rookies in Donald and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Although Beckham is doing his damage in a different division, the Rams haven't been immune to the well-earned hype surrounding Beckham's barrage.
“[He's] really an outstanding athlete," coach Jeff Fisher said. "As good a receiver out of frame as you’ll see, especially at a young age. They’re really on the same page. The run-after-catch ability is off the charts. They ran a reverse pass and he threw the ball 40, 50 yards. They tell us that he throws with either arm. He’s an outstanding athlete. He’s having a great year. ”
Putting it mildly, yes, Beckham is having a great year. For the season, he has 71 catches for 962 yards and nine touchdowns. Those are strong numbers for a season anyway but put into context of the sample size, it's even more impressive.
Beckham has played in just 10 games but his 71 catches in those 10 games is the most by a player in his first 10 games in NFL history. He also has 90-plus receiving yards in seven straight games and three games with 10 or more receptions, both of which are rookie records.
Since Nov. 1, Beckham ranks first in the NFL in catches (61) and receiving yards (866) and his six touchdowns is tied for third in that span. Had Beckham played all 16 games, he'd be on pace for 113 receptions for 1,555 receiving yards, both of which would have been rookie records.
Even with Donald setting off on a career trajectory that should have him considered one of the league's best defensive tackles sooner than later (even now?), some have wondered what could have been had Beckham dropped just one more spot.
NFL.com's Gil Brandt made mention of it on Twitter after Beckham's amazing one-handed grab against Dallas:
The Rams were going to take Odell Beckham with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but the Giants got him at 12. #DALvsNYG
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) November 24, 2014I imagine the Rams are really sick watching Beckham now and wish the Giants wouldn't have taken him.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) November 24, 2014For what it's worth, I don't believe the Rams would have taken Beckham over Donald and, had Donald been off the board, the Rams had strong feelings for offensive lineman Zack Martin and linebacker C.J. Mosley. Fisher said Wednesday that the Rams did have at least some level of interest in Beckham.
“We spent a lot of time with him," Fisher said. "Really liked him. Knew he was going to be a real good pro.”
As it turned out, the Rams never had a shot at Beckham but ended up with a prize that should be a cornerstone for years to come. The fickle nature of the NFL draft rarely leaves both sides happy in cases such as these, but there's no denying that both teams were winners when it came to the 12th and 13th selections in the 2014 NFL draft.