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Just one look at Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. throwing the ball and some will begin to wonder why the star pass-catcher isn’t playing quarterback.
Turns out Beckham has in his past — well, at least for a week.
Beckham’s former LSU teammate Jeremy Hill dropped an interesting tidbit this week, sharing that the three-time Pro Bowl receiver actually played scout team quarterback in college when the Tigers were preparing to face Texas A&M and QB Johnny Manziel.
“Fun fact: in college [Beckham] played scout team QB the whole week in practice for the A&M game to get our defense ready for [Johnny Manziel],” Hill wrote on a viral clip of Beckham launching a ball an estimated 70 yards at the UCLA practice facility.
Beckham promptly responded: “Lolololol and yea then I was tired affff for the game! So glad the defense shut him down ! I couldn’t run routes after the first qrt.”
Turns out Beckham helped the LSU defense more than ready for Johnny Football. When the SEC rivals faced off in 2013, Manziel completed just 16-of-41 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 12 carries for 54 yards, but it was one of the worst performances of his stories college career.
The previous year was Manziel’s Heisman season, but he was unable to solve LSU. He went 29-of-56, tossing three interceptions and no touchdowns as the Tigers bested the Aggies 24-19.
Odell Beckham Has Unleashed Arm in NFL Games
The fact of the matter is that Beckham has a rocket arm that hang with some QBs in terms of just distance.
Last season Beckham passed the ball twice — and looked cocked to throw a few more times. He completed one pass for 20 yards, while another long bomb was dropped.
Beckham also showed off his arm with the Giants, finishing his last year in New York with a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. He connected with then-rookie Saquon Barkley on a highlight reel 57-yard bomb on a cross-field pass that really showed off his arm strength. In a hilarious twist, the play was just a yard shy of Eli Manning’s season-long touchdown pass.
OBJ did it again later in the season, flicking a 49-yard pass to Russell Shepard over the middle, becoming the first receiver to throw two touchdowns in a season since Antwaan Randle El in 2010.
Baker Mayfield Confident in Odell Beckham’s Return From Injury
Arm aside, Beckham is known for his hands and his spectacular catches that pushed him to superstar heights. However, his first year in Cleveland did not go as planned. Despite breaking the 1,000-yard barrier last season, Beckham did not live up to the wild expectations set for him. He finished his first season in Cleveland with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns.
However, Beckham played most of the season banged up with multiple injuries. He and fellow Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry had surgery in the offseason to repair injuries and quarterback Baker Mayfield is confident both will be back at their full powers next season.
“Those guys are working extremely hard,” Mayfield told the media during a Zoom conference call on Wednesday. “They look really good, and they say they feel really good. It’s just a different mindset going into it. I think they went back to the basics. They’re ready to take over, and it’s their time now. They know that. We only have so many more opportunities together. They’re going to do it and everything for each other. I’m looking forward to seeing the productivity they have.”
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