The New York Giants‘ offense has elite playmakers at more than one position. Of course, New York has the best running back in the NFL in Saquon Barkley, but they have other under-the-radar stars on offense, too.
Evan Engram is the Giants’ other potential star on offense. He has dealt with some injuries over his first two seasons, but he has been a terrific player when he is on the field. However, there are reasons to believe he will be even better in 2019.
How Great Has Engram Been?
Evan Engram was initially a questionable pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he proved all doubters wrong during his rookie season. As a rookie, Evan totaled 722 yards and 6 touchdowns on 64 receptions. He proved that he was a matchup nightmare and made multiple highlight-reel plays.
In 2018, it was more of the same from Engram, despite injuries. Evan missed 5 games and was only able to start in 8 games this past season, but he still posted respectable statistics. Evan improved his catch rate from 55.7% in 2017 to 70.3% in 2018.
Evan also increased his yards per reception (from 11.3 y/r to 12.8 y/r) and his yards per game (from 48.1 y/g to 52.5 y/g). Overall it has been a solid first two seasons for Evan Engram. Only 4 tight ends over the last decade logged more receiving yards in their first two NFL seasons than Evan Engram’s 1,299 yards.
How Great Can Engram Be?
As great as Evan Engram has been, there is still tons of room for improvement. In fact, Evan Engram really flashed that potential towards the end of the 2018 season- especially when the Giants were without Odell Beckham Jr.
Engram averaged only 36.7 yards per game prior to Beckham’s injury. After Odell went down, Evan’s average jumped all the way to 80 yards per game.
The Giants will now be completely without Odell in 2019 and beyond. This should lead to a more expanded role for Evan Engram and quite possibly an even bigger rise in production. If Evan Engram can stay healthy, he could become one of the best tight ends in the NFL.