Jarvis Landry one of the many rookies making an impact in the NFL

It’s no secret how much of a great player Jarvis Landry has been in his first year in the NFL. In fact, he’s one of many rookie wide receivers who have been making an impact in a big way, joining Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, Brandin Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin and others. Count Joe Philbin as one who has been impressed with the way he’s performed in 2014 thus far.

“He’s a good football player. He’s an instinctive guy, a competitive guy. He’s got good hands. He’ll catch the ball going across the middle, whether it’s down the middle, a drag or crossing route, he’s got good change of direction, his play speed is good. He’s made a really good contribution so far.”  

Philbin said he remembers reviewing film on the rookie wide receiver class and recalls how talented a lot of them were and all with different types of skill sets.

“I remember from the draft process last year, there just seemed to be a lot of good players out there, and guys that are different body types. Some guys are big targets that weren’t maybe as fast as others, some guys were smaller, quicker guys, some were fast guys, it was a good crop of guys. I think the offensive teams that drafted these players have utilized them well.”

Philbin noted that one of the reasons for quite a few rookie receivers making an impact right away is because they are throwing the ball a lot more in college and also because the passing systems utilized there are becoming more advanced each year, thus making it an easier transition.

For his part, Landry is of course thrilled to be in the NFL but said he never takes anything for granted and is always working to become better every day. It’s a big transition – both mentally and physically – and he talked about the physical aspect of staying in shape throughout the year.
 
“I feel sore, of course. I think all that we do from a practice week to the game allows us to have the opportunity to take care of our bodies. There’s downtime we get between meetings and things like that to go home, massages, just trying everything you possibly can do to make sure your body is in tip-top shape.”

Landry is a stud receiver and will be in Miami for a long time. It will be exciting to watch him develop over the next several years.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs

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