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Brandon Marshall: 'I wish I could be' Odell Beckham Jr.

By Alex Butler

May 25 (UPI) -- There is no question about who is the No. 1 wide receiver for the New York Giants, even Brandon Marshall concedes to Odell Beckham Jr.

The Giants' big-time offseason acquisition talked to reporters Thursday after the team's third session of OTAs. Beckham still hasn't showed up for the workouts.

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"I mean obviously when he has been here we have gotten great work and he is a special, special talent. Of course it is always good when you have your full team there, but he is out working hard," Marshall told reporters. "That is one thing that I notice about him, he is a freak. The first day when we were running sprints he was playing with the rest of the wide receivers. We are running extremely hard and at full capacity and he would just jog and be 10 yards in front of us and then stop and let everyone else beat him. It is just special to see this guy work. He is truly a freak."

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Social media posts surfaced earlier this week showing Beckham working out in California. He also showed up in Johnny Manziel's Instagram feed during the workouts.

Marshall led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns in 2015, but dropped off to just three scores in 2016 with the New York Jets. Beckham has 35 touchdowns in 43 games in his young career.

While Beckham told NFL Network that he "loves" his team and is "excited about the season," he said no comment when asked if he would be attending future OTAs.

The Giants' next scheduled session is on Tuesday. Beckham told NFL Network that he plans to attend mandatory minicamp on June 13.

Beckham is living the superstar lifestyle before entering his fourth NFL season. His cast of friends includes Drake and Justin Bieber.

The three-time Pro Bowler was entering the final year of his rookie contract, but the club recently picked up his option for 2018. He signed a megadeal with Nike on Wednesday worth $29 million. All of this doesn't make Marshall "envious," per se, but his comments Thursday suggested a touch of jealousy.

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"He is probably the best athlete that I have ever seen. I mean he can kick a soccer ball, he can kick a football, he can throw a baseball, he can hit a baseball," Marshall told reporters. "I am not saying that I am envious, but dang I wish I could be him. He has cool hair, he just signed the biggest shoe deal in football history. Dang, I wish I had that, man. That is awesome."

Both players are universally accepted as "diva" wide receivers, but Marshall's initial impressions with the Giants have been mellow.

"Brandon has been a breath of fresh air for us," Giants coach Ben McAdoo told reporters Thursday. "He comes out, he works hard at football, you can see he loves football. It's refreshing to have a guy that's been as productive as he has over his career and has played as long as he's played, being out here working the way he works; you can really see he loves the game."

From a fantasy football perspective, Beckham is a surefire first round pick. Marshall could be a good value, in the fifth round or later, but don't overspend. There is no doubt who Eli Manning's No. 1 look is.

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