Wide receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry formed a unique bond as high schoolers in Louisiana and teammates at Louisiana State.
"I got a chance to meet him our sophomore year of high school, and we talked about playing together and competing against each other each game, each week," Landry said at NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We finally had a chance to go to LSU together, and it was surreal just to think that all that we talked about, we were experiencing."
How surreal it must feel now, as the two of them brace for the 2014 NFL Draft, where both are slated to be first- or second-round picks.
"For me and him, we embraced challenges, and we embraced it together," Landry explained. "That blood brother thing means a lot. That's what he always says about us, and I feel the same way."
This dynamic pair of LSU receivers helped bring the best out in each other in Baton Rouge.
After a quiet freshman season, Landry (5-11, 205 pounds) had a breakout sophomore year, recording 56 catches for 573 yards and five touchdowns. He emerged as a go-to target as a junior, notching 77 receptions for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns and also covered kicks.
Beckham (5-11, 198 pounds) was a three-year starter who recorded 84 catches for 1,188 yards and four touchdowns in his first two seasons. Then, like Landry, Beckham had an explosive junior season, hauling in 59 receptions for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns.
Beckham, who ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the combine, also served as the Tigers' return man as a junior, averaging 26.4 yards per kick return and 8.9 yards per punt return. All told, he amassed a school-record 2,222 all-purpose yards.
Both were extremely productive collegiate wide receivers, but they did it in different ways.
"It's like apples and oranges," Landry said.
"We definitely bring different things to the table," Beckham said at the combine. "He's a possession guy that is going to catch everything around him. He's a physical guy who is going to make those tough catches. I'm a guy who is going to take the top off a defense and use a lot of my speed as my strength."
Added Landry: "He takes the top off things a lot. For me, it's intermediate. It's the dirty work mostly, but you know, I love to do it."
The teammates-turned-brothers never shied away from competing with one another during their time at LSU, but there will be no competition for who hears their name first on draft day.
"Whoever gets picked first, we are going to be sitting there clapping. I'm just hoping that he does the best he can," Beckham said. "We wish nothing but the best for each other."
