Could Cruz be the next Jerry Rice?

Victor Cruz is in some elite company.

No, we're not talking about sharing the field at the Super Bowl with potential future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Eli Manning. What Cruz has already accomplished this season -- the eye-popping stats, the “did he just do that?” catch-and-runs -- puts him in some pretty special company in the pantheon of NFL receivers.

In just his second season in the league, Cruz had 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns on 82 catches, averaging 18.73 yards per catch and 96 yards per game. Only four other receivers have racked up at least 1,500 yards in their second season:

- Charley Hennigan, Houston, 1961

Hennigan, a five-time Pro Bowler, had 1,746 yards and 12 touchdowns on 82 catches, averaging 21.29 ypc and 124.7 ypg. He improved from 722 yards in 11 games his first season.

- Jerry Rice, San Francisco, 1986

Rice, a 13-time Pro Bowler and 2010 Hall of Fame inductee, had 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns on 86 catches, good for averages of 18.26 ypc and 98.1 ypg. He improved from 927 yards in 16 games his first year.

- Isaac Bruce, St. Louis, 1995

Bruce, a four-time Pro Bowler, had 1,781 yards and 13 touchdowns on 119 catches, averaging 14.97 ypc  and 111.3 ypg. He improved from 272 yards in 12 games his first season.

- Torry Holt, St. Louis, 2000

Holt, a seven-time Pro Bowler, had 1,635 yards and six touchdowns on 82 catches, averaging 19.94 ypc and 102.2 ypg. He improved from 788 yards in 16 games his first season.

Not a bad group to be a member of. And yet, while Cruz may have the least impressive numbers of the quintet on first glance, what he's done this season might be more impressive than what Hennigan, Bruce, Holt or Rice accomplished.

While all four of these receivers played and found success during their first season, learning the ins and outs of the NFL first hand, Cruz's rookie year was almost a total loss.

He had a sterling preseason in which he led the NFL with 297 receiving yards. During a game against the Jets, Cruz had 145 yards and three touchdowns on six catches. He looked poised for a huge rookie campaign.

But looks can be deceiving.

Cruz appeared in three regular-season games in 2010, didn't catch a pass and then suffered a hamstring injury which ended his season.

So everything Cruz accomplished this season has essentially been as a rookie. Even Rice, perhaps the greatest receiver in NFL history, didn't come out of the gate like this.

Consider this: Rice and Holt were drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, Bruce was taken in the second and Hennigan was drafted in the first round of the AFL draft. Cruz? He was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent.

Sunday we get to see the finale of this out-of-nowhere talent's standout season.

How will Cruz surprise us next?

Cody Derespina's "The Numbers Game" is a Newsday app-only exclusive