Odell Beckham Jr.’s famous catch completely changed his life and made him one of the biggest celebrities in all of sports, never mind the NFL. While I doubt the same ripple effect will transpire from this viral catch, Robert Morris defensive back Rob Carter Jr. can take solace in the pretty much indisputable fact that his catch was better.
Justin Jefferson came along a couple years ago with a one-handed snag that, as a prisoner of the moment, I also thought was superior to OBJ’s but I’m not so sure anymore, since the defender kind of helped him haul it in.
Who had the Better Catch?
Odell Beckham or Justin Jefferson #Giants #Skol #NFL #TogetherBlue
🔥⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uGOFWBM6qh
— TheSportsShift (@TheSports_Shift) August 23, 2024
But like, you tell me: Did Rob Carter Jr., aka RCJ (it’ll catch on), not have the best snag of all on this full 360 interception against Utah State on Saturday night?
Robert Morris leads FBS foe Utah State, 14-10, at the half. Bethel Park grad Anthony Chiccitt has a TD pass for Bobby Mo, which also got this ridiculous INT by Rob Carter. pic.twitter.com/OdfK5zXBDl
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) September 1, 2024
Sure feels as if Carter has the “Best Catch” superlative championship belt for the time being. No idea if he’s any good relative to other players on Robert Morris’ team, but those ball skills for a defensive back are straight-up ridonkulous. Is he a converted wide receiver? He must be. That path worked out well for my guys Richard Sherman and Tariq Woolen. If you don’t know the latter Seattle Seahawk who followed in Sherm’s footsteps, you soon will.
Even if not everyone is saying that RCJ’s one-hander bests OBJ’s, the general consensus on Football Twitter is that the competition for Catch of the Year is already a wrap.
This is why I always hated the Odell catch and how hyped it was.
There have been a MILLION better plays and this one is 100x better. https://t.co/WhO6OHDouf
— Eric Lloyd (@EricLloyd) September 1, 2024
This is the craziest interception that I’ve ever seen in my life. https://t.co/KLrDzkK8Pi
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaPFN) September 1, 2024
Sucks for everyone else that the Catch of the Year is already solidified https://t.co/48hmrR6pPo
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) September 1, 2024
No chance there’s a better catch this year https://t.co/H2cF2Vgnwb
— Let Joe Cook (@burrow_time) September 1, 2024
That’s a 10/10 on the one-handed catch scale, and we grade tough https://t.co/1Bb2Flpeup
— Ben Gretch (@YardsPerGretch) September 1, 2024
The tracking. The finish. The swagger. This needs to be in every advertisement for Robert Morris University for the rest of time. https://t.co/FtGQ7sKK46
— Quinten Krzysko (@ButkusStats) September 1, 2024
Feels like Rob Carter Jr. may have Flubber in his shoes with hops like that. Then you factor in the body control, the ball tracking ability, and the coordination to pull all this off in a matter of split seconds, and it’s easily one of the most mind-bending gridiron achievements ever. If Carter has a ceiling anywhere near as good as this particular play, maybe there’s hope in the NFL for him yet. Some of the biggest stars in the game past and present, and those on the roster bubble who grind their way onto 53-man NFL rosters, have risen from greater obscurity than him.
