If you can recall the glorious days of Jeremy Shockey at tight end you likely remember his catching ability and blocking prowess in the run game. The New York Giants have gotten lucky over the years with fill in tight ends – Jake Ballard & Kevin Boss – who have played significant roles in playoff runs that ultimately resulted in Eli Manning’s two Super Bowl victories.
Finding a guy like Jimmy Graham in his prime is hard to do, but the Giants thought they had their guy in Evan Engram in the 2017 NFL Draft. He had speed and catching ability, but he lacked attributes like strength and balance. It was expected that Engram would need time to develop his blocking ability while he carved up defenses with his immense breakaway speed.
Now, I’m a firm believer that tight ends are some of the most expendable players on any given team. Why? Because they’re easy to come by if you allocate late round draft picks to them. Let’s look at a few examples to prove my point.
-George Kittle (San Francisco)
The 49ers drafted Kittle in the 5th round of the 2017 draft. Since his inception in the league, he’s managed 1,099 yards and four touchdowns. He’s a fantastic blocker and can open up the field for his quarterback. Additionally, he has stayed healthy thus far in his career.
-Jack Doyle (Indianapolis)Â
The Colts’ starting tight end, Jack Doyle, is a former undrafted free agent that’s now one of the league’s premier TEs. Last season, he recorded 690 yards and four touchdowns. The Colts didn’t even have to allocate any draft capital to grab their starting TE, which only further proves my point.
Taking a look at New York Giants’ Evan Engram:
Now, if we look at Engram’s stats so far in his NFL career, it’s obvious that he’s primarily a receiver. And, it’s also important to realize that he was Eli Manning’s No. 1 target in 2017 after Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Brandon Marshall succumbed to injury.
Engram has 867 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. While his scoring is his most impressive stat, he lacks the strength and size to open running lanes on the exterior of the offensive line. Additionally, he has been plagued with dropped passes, securing only 55.7% of his attempted catches in 2017 and 65.4% in ’18.
To be fair, his drafting was a classic Jerry Reese move. Taking a skill-player before an offensive lineman or edge rusher. Unless the player has the generational quality of Saquon Barkley, you must pour as much talent into the trenches and/or quarterback if need be.