National Football League

Super Bowl 2022: Is Odell Beckham Jr. more flash than substance?

Updated Jan. 18, 2023 10:41 a.m. ET

The stars will be out for Super Bowl LVI, but none may shine brighter than Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham might not be the most productive player between both Super Bowl rosters this season, with that distinction belonging to fellow Rams teammates Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, as well as the Bengals' dynamic duo of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

But when it comes to brand recognition, it's arguable that there isn't a single player in the Super Bowl –– and maybe the rest of the NFL –– that stacks up to Beckham, according to Shannon Sharpe.

"OBJ is the most recognizable name in this game," Sharpe said on "Undisputed."

"When you talk about world appeal, he has 15 million [Instagram] followers. No other player has 15 million followers."

Shannon Sharpe explains how OBJ has become the biggest star in Super Bowl LVI

The Super Bowl is just days away, and Odell Beckham Jr. is looking to punch his golden ticket to further superstardom.

Beckham's 15.2 million Instagram followers are the most of any player in the entire NFL, nearly four million more than the second-place guy: recently retired Tom Brady (11.3 million).

Add that to OBJ's 4.2 million Twitter followers, and he has 19.4 million followers in total — more than Burrow, Chase and Kupp's combined total across both platforms (4.7 million).

These social media numbers, combined with his ascension to stardom as a New York Giant, help explain how Beckham also signed the largest shoe deal ever for an NFL player with Nike in 2017 — worth $25 million.

But even with off-the-field staying power, his production has not necessarily matched his following of late.

After notching five seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving in his first six seasons, Beckham has not crossed that threshold in his past two seasons due to a torn ACL in 2020 and a slow start with the Cleveland Browns this season before his release and signing with the Rams.

That led Skip Bayless to say that Beckham is more flash than substance.

"By far the biggest star in the Super Bowl is a receiver who hasn't made a Pro Bowl for six years," Bayless said. "It's about social media and followers."

Skip Bayless: The biggest star in SBLVI is a receiver in OBJ

When asked about the opportunity to go from superstar to Super Bowl champion, the receiver said, 'I know the opportunity that’s at hand.'

While Beckham has in fact not made the Pro Bowl since 2017, he has shown signs that he is still one of the NFL's most dynamic wide receivers since joining the Rams.

After totaling just 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns with the Browns in six games, Beckham surpassed that total with the Rams in eight games, with 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns.

And with a deeper dive into his postseason numbers shows he still stacks up with the league's very best at his position.

He ranks sixth in the postseason in receiving yards (236), fifth in receptions (19) and third in receptions for first downs (13). If you were to extrapolate those numbers across a 17-game season, Beckham would be on pace for a 107-catch, 1,377-yard season.

Beckham's totals in three Rams playoff games have already surpassed his totals in yards, receptions and touchdowns with the Browns earlier this season.

Since joining the Rams in Week 10, 29 of his 46 catches have resulted in first downs (63%), a higher percentage than Kupp (58%), Tyreek Hill (62.1%), Stefon Diggs (59%) Diontae Johnson (56.7%) and Hunter Renfrow (48.5%) during that span.

Each of those receivers were named to the Pro Bowl.

OBJ has also been targeted 11 times in the red zone, leading to five red-zone receiving touchdowns.

Lastly, since Week 10, he ranks 15th in red-zone targets and seventh in red-zone touchdowns, proving that he still has the reputation as one of the elite scoring threats in the NFL.

Super Bowl LVI will put Beckham on the world stage again –– giving not only his social media following, but his football legend, another chance to expand.