It's an interesting time in the NFL right now. Usually, we are transitioning from the NFL Draft into analysis and waiting for training camp to actually start. Instead, we have a few extra weeks of pre-Draft talk and rumors. In other words, we have a few extra weeks of smokescreens, speculation, and reaction to every little piece of information.
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It's a great time to be fan - and it's one of the most stressful times to be a fan.
Leaks abound. Assumptions are made. Anonymous sources tell the world everything. Tomorrow another source will contradict everything the last source said. There's no way to know what is true and what isn't.
Take a look at it like this - when was the first time you heard Dion Jordan linked to the Miami Dolphins last year? I'm betting it was about the time "Dion Jordan, defensive end, Oregon," came out of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's mouth just after he said "With the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select..."
No one saw the Dion Jordan pick coming. No one really knows what will happen this year. All we know for sure is the Draft will start on May 8. We have a pretty good idea of how the Dolphins are using their 30 authorized non-local draft prospect visits - though even that is not a definitive, 100-percent list.
We do get to add another name to the list of players coming through the Dolphins' Davie training facilities. Thanks to an interview on Sirius XM NFL Radio, LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. confirmed he would be in South Florida at the end of this week. According to Beckham, he just completed visits with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals before kicking off a busy week starting tomorrow when he visits the New York Jets, then heads to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, and the Dolphins on Friday.
Beckham joins a rotation of receivers with whom the Dolphins have been linked this year. Included in that list are Clemson's Martavis Bryant, Wyoming's Ron Herron, USC's Marqise Lee, Oregon State's Brandin Cooks, and Mississippi's Donte Moncrief.
During his three year career at LSU, Beckham appeared in 39 games, catching 141 passes for 2,305 yards with 12 touchdowns. This past season was clearly his best, with 57 receptions for 1,117 yards (19.6 yards per catch average - 3rd best in the SEC) and eight touchdowns. Beckham also returned kicks and punts while at LSU, averaging 25.1 return yards per kick and 9.3 yards per punt, with two punt return touchdowns.
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Beckham is the 31st ranked player on SB Nation's Top 200 NFL Draft Prospects, making him the fourth wide out behind Clemson's Sammy Watkins, Texas A&M's Mike Evans, and Lee. He's projected to come off the board some time during the first round, with NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently saying Beckham could be the player this year that comes out of no where to land in the top ten picks.
Using MockDraftable.com's spider chart, we can get a look at Beckham's NFL Scouting Combine results compared to the rest of the wide receiver draft class.