TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans and the New York Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. aren't just the class of the NFL's wide receiver corps, their class -- the 2014 draft class -- is on pace to be perhaps the best in NFL history. Both players will be on display Sunday in Tampa.
With Beckham, fans get sizzle.
"He can make crazy catches, but his run after the catch -- when he catches that ball in the open field, you kind of hold your breath," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said.
With Evans, fans get a combination of size and speed.
"He's definitely gonna go up and get the ball," Giants safety Landon Collins said.
Both have tremendous admiration from their respective quarterbacks.
"Odell, he is a tremendous player," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "He just finds ways to make plays, whether it's throwing him a short pass and he takes it a long way [or a deep ball]. ... He can take over a game."
Said Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston: "[Mike] knows that he cannot be stopped, especially down [in the red zone]. ... The guy's special. He's special in the league and I'm just honored to have him."
Evans, who was the second receiver to come off the board and drafted seventh overall, doesn't see it as a competition, even if Beckham, who was selected 12th overall and was the third receiver taken, gets more of the attention.
"Odell is a great player. He is a friend of mine. ... I'm looking forward to seeing him," Evans said. "I think we are both great players. ... I'm a bit bigger. He's a bit faster. He's better after the catch. I'm a bigger guy -- better at jump balls, probably."
The admiration is mutual for Beckham, who played against Evans' Texas A&M Aggies when he was at LSU.
"I've been watching him for a long time," Beckham said. "Just to be able to see a guy I came in with, to be able to kind of be on this journey together, it kind of brings some value to what him and I have a respect level for each other. That dude's a sick receiver."
They are the headliners of a receiver draft class that has been historic so far. Evans, Beckham and Miami's Jarvis Landry have gained 3,000 yards over their first three seasons, which is more than any other draft class in NFL history. Beckham and Evans are both top-five all time for most receiving yards in their first three seasons, with Beckham in second (4,122) behind Randy Moss, and Evans (3,578) in fifth.
Of the NFL's top seven players with the most receptions in their first three seasons, three are from the class of 2014, with Beckham (288) and Landry (288) at the top with Evans tied with LaDainian Tomlinson (238) for sixth.
"I think we are both great players," Evans said. "He plays with a lot of passion as well as I [do]. I think we play with a lot of swag in different areas. He's more of a dancer, I'm more of a tough guy."
Added Beckham: "He's a big receiver but he can do all kinds of things -- catching radius, run routes, he's a playmaker. Him and Jameis together are a deadly combination."
The success of the 2014 wide receiver class extends beyond those two. Eight players -- Evans, Beckham, Landry, Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, Kelvin Benjamin, Brandin Cooks and John Brown -- reached 1,000 yards in at least one season within their first two years, more than any other draft class in NFL history.
Seven times this group has produced double-digit touchdowns in single seasons, with Beckham doing it all three years and Evans doing it twice (2014, 2016), along with Robinson (2015) and Davante Adams (2016).
Beckham also is a fan of Jordan Matthews.
"Man, we had a lot of guys in that draft class. We had a lot of guys," Beckham said.
"It's great to see Sammy at L.A., being able to kind of do his thing. Maybe Buffalo wasn't the right situation for him."
Evans just hopes he and Beckham and the rest of the class can keep reaching milestones.
"I'm happy that I am a part of such an amazing draft class," Evans said. "I hope that we can continue the success that we've been having. It's just cool to be a part of a great class of great guys."
ESPN's Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.