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Odell Beckham is this year's cursed ... er, 'Madden' cover athlete

A year ago, Odell Beckham wasn't a household name.

He was the 12th overall pick to the New York Giants in last year's draft, but that didn't make him instantly famous. He was basically what former Louisville receiver DeVante Parker (14th pick to the Miami Dolphins in this year's draft) is now. Known to football fans but not what you'd consider a celebrity.

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Beckham is clearly a celebrity now. One all-time catch and an amazing rookie season changed everything for him. He's one of the most famous athletes in sports.

The latest sign of his fame is that he will be on the cover of EA Sports' "Madden NFL 16" video game, after he beat New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in a fan vote. He's the youngest athlete to be on the "Madden" cover, another sign of his instant popularity. The joke for years has been how the cover athlete is cursed, after a bad streak of luck for cover subjects like Peyton Hillis and Daunte Culpepper. Hopefully the same poor luck doesn't happen to Beckham, becuase he's one of the NFL's brightest stars after just one season.

About the only question for Beckham is what he could possibly do for an encore after such a whirlwind first NFL season.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!