Odell Beckham was the big-name addition in the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver room, but rookie Zay Flowers might end up being the biggest star. Selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Boston College product has done nothing but impress teammates and coaches alike throughout training camp and the preseason. While we have yet to play a regular season game, Beckham recently said that he believes Flowers will be a top-five receiver in the league before long.
Odell Beckham Jr. says Zay Flowers could creep into everyone’s top-five when talking about wide receivers pic.twitter.com/6ipLXGuTSR
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 3, 2023
Odell Beckham: Zay Flowers Will Be A Top-Five Wide Receiver
The Quote Itself
While making an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Beckham started listing his top receivers in the NFL. After listing off the usual names (Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, etc), Odell Beckham surprised everyone by bringing up Zay Flowers completely unprompted.
Editor’s note: Beckham is making a phone appearance on the podcast, so his audio is a little muffled.
“I think the biggest one to watch out for this year creeping into everyone’s top five is gonna be Zay Flowers. Just keep that name up there every single week when he’s showing up on SportsCenter.”
Now, teammates talking up teammates is not newsworthy in of itself, but the way Odell Beckham spoke about Zay Flowers is worth mentioning. For one, nobody asked about Flowers at this point in the interview – Beckham simply felt the need to bring up the rookie all on his own. Secondly, this is remarkably high praise. Eisen and Beckham were discussing the best wide receivers in the league, and nobody would consider Beckham a bad teammate if he didn’t mention Flowers.
Last, and certainly not least, is the fact that Beckham has never had a problem with speaking his mind in the past. During his days with the New York Giants, the former first-round pick criticized the play of then-starter Eli Manning and even incurred a fine for his comments. Beckham has matured since those days, but the fact remains that he is not the type of guy to lie about a player’s abilities. The fact that he said this shows that he truly believes Flowers has what it takes to be among the best of the best.
Is Odell Beckham Right About Zay Flowers?
If Odell Beckham is right about Zay Flowers being a top-five receiver, then the rookie will basically have to set the world on fire from the word ‘go’. Back in 2021, Ja’Marr Chase put the world on notice when he recorded five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in Cincinnati’s win over the Minnesota Vikings. Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, had his first big game in Week 3 of the 2020 season, recording seven receptions for 175 yards and a score against the Tennessee Titans.
In the past, even the best wide receivers would need a season or two to adjust to the NFL game. However, thanks to decades of rule changes that have disproportionately benefitted the offense, most elite receivers are able to hit the ground running. Now, this isn’t to say that Flowers’ entire career will be determined by his first month of professional action. However, if he can immediately establish himself as the top option a passing attack featuring two other proven options, then Flowers could very well be a top-five wide receiver at this point next year.
Main Photo: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports
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