With the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected WR Odell Beckham Jr. out of LSU.
The Giants had two choices with this pick; find someone to protect Eli Manning or find someone to give them an outside presence at wide receiver.
Beckham isn’t a huge receiver, but he’s got excellent hands and is one of the best pure route runners in the nation. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said that most of the teams who were interested in trading up mentioned Beckham as their target.
The Giants didn’t have to trade up, because with some of the unexpected picks that came before number 12, Beckham all but fell in their lap.
A solid wide receiver and an excellent potential kick returner, this is a nice pick for the Giants, as most of the top offensive linemen had already been picked. New York can dig in the next two rounds to find a good lineman, and they’ll do it without missing out on a talent like Beckham.
This will automatically make the Giants offense better, and with a little better protection for Manning, they’ll be right back in the thick of things in the NFC East.
OVERALL PICK GRADE: A-