Earlier this year, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie called Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham a “one-year wonder” because he felt that he had not seen enough of Beckham to know that he could produce on an every-week basis.
Cromartie made those comments in early October and Beckham has done a pretty good job of proving that he can thrive every time out since then. He has 72 catches for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns on the year, putting him on pace to end the year with the kind of production rarely seen from wide receiver in their first two years.
On Monday, Cromartie again referenced that youth while discussing the potential for growth that he feels Beckham has within his reach.
“I still feel like there’s still so much room for him to grow,” Cromartie said, via ESPN.com. “He’s a young, athletic guy that can go out and make plays, and make unbelievable catches. He’s proven that over and over. He does have a lot of room to grow, because he’s so young. He’s only in his second year, so he only can evolve in that offense. Being around the guys, like Eli Manning, [can] make him evolve more. Yes, he has a lot of room to grow, to be the guy that everyone knows he can be.”
Beckham has played 23 NFL games, so it would be rather silly to think that he’s a fully formed player even if what we’ve seen puts him squarely in the upper tier of NFL wideouts. With Darrelle Revis still in the concussion protocol, Marcus Williams battling a knee injury and Cromartie still prone to getting burnt, his current level may be more than enough to make nightmares for the Jets this Sunday.