Carolina Panthers

Panthers' Rivera compares Giants' Beckham to one of best WRs ever

Published Dec. 16, 2015 10:38 p.m. ET

foxsports

While New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is getting praise sent in his direction from every which way, Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera may have taken that praise to another stratosphere. When asked whether Beckham is the best receiver the Panthers have faced this year, he gave some love to Julio Jones, but then threw Beckham a serious compliment.

Via Dan Graziano of ESPN:

"Well, Julio Jones is right up there," Rivera said. "But watching what [Beckham has] done in his first two seasons is tremendous. He really has an opportunity, I think, to be one of those guys you'll talk about, him and Jerry Rice.

"I had the great fortune of watching Jerry Rice, and man, I see a lot of flashes," Rivera said. "I played against Jerry, as well, and I see a lot of flashes in Odell's game. I just think he's a tremendous football player."

That right there, is how you compliment an opponent. For Beckham, it's well deserved. He's been by far one of the best wide receivers in the game this season, and is proving the phrase "sophomore slump" isn't in his vocabulary.