New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is on the verge of becoming the most productive receiver over the first two years of a career in NFL history.
With his sixth straight 100-yard game and two more touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, Beckham pushed his 2015 statistics to 85 catches, 1,320 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 25-game career since the start of 2014 has witnessed Beckham catch 176 passes for 2,625 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Beckham already has more catches than any player ever in his first two seasons. He is 101 yards shy of Randy Moss’s two-year record of 2,726, and five touchdowns short of Bill Groman’s 29 scores from 1960-61.
Remember, Beckham missed four games to start the 2014 season with a hamstring injury, and he has three more games to play in 2015.
Here are some of the other receivers who blew up during their first two seasons in the NFL:
Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings (1998-99)
Moss took the NFL by storm, catching 17 touchdowns as a rookie and producing over 1,300 yards in each of his first two seasons. He averaged 18.3 yards per catch, and 18 of 28 receiving touchdowns came from 30 yards out or more. His 2,726 receiving yards during his first two seasons still stands as the NFL record.
Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers (1985-86)
After a somewhat quiet rookie season, Rice exploded as a sophomore, catching 86 passes for 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1986. Over his first two years, the Hall of Famer produced almost 2,500 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns, setting the stage for his historic 1987 season.
Bill Groman, Houston Oilers (1960-61)
Who? Groman is a forgotten man in history, but he was an immediate receiving star for the Oilers. After catching 72 passes for a league-high 1,473 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rookie, Groman’s encore in 1961 included 1,175 yards and an NFL-best 17 touchdowns. Beckham needs five touchdowns over the final three games to tie Groman’s record.
Bob Hayes, Dallas Cowboys (1965-66)
The Olympic sprinter turned NFL receiver put on the jets and sped past the league during his first two seasons. He caught 110 passes from 1965 to 1966, but he turned those receptions into 2,235 yards and a league-high 25 touchdowns. Hayes averaged 20.3 yards per reception, with 19 scores from at least 30 yards out.
Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns (2012-13)
Gordon was the next big thing until his life off the field sabotaged his ability to play the game. Through his first two seasons, Gordon caught 137 passes for 2,451 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2013, he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards over just 14 games.
Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams (1999-2000)
Holt didn’t have the crazy touchdown numbers (just 12 from 1999-2000), but he did catch 134 passes for 2,423 yards during his first two seasons. His second season was a dominant one, as he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,635) and yards per reception (19.9). Holt would go on to post eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (2011-12)
Green started his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including 1,350 on 97 catches as a sophomore. He also improved on his seven touchdowns as a rookie with 11 in 2012. Overall, Green caught 162 passes for 2,407 yards and 18 touchdowns during his first two seasons.
Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints (2006-07)
The Saints’ seventh-round pick in 2006 blew up with quarterback Drew Brees throwing him the football. Colston caught 168 passes for 2,240 yards and 19 touchdowns over his first two years in the NFL, with a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2007 and two straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (2004-05)
After catching eight touchdowns as a rookie, Fitzgerald broke out in a big way in 2005, catching a league-high 103 passes for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns during a Pro Bowl seasons. Overall, he totaled 161 catches for 2,189 yards and 18 touchdowns from 2004 to 2005. It was a fantastic start to a career that would see him eclipse 1,000 catches.