When the New York Giants scooped up Isaiah Hodgins from the Buffalo Bills practice squad in Week 7, they didn’t imagine he would become a focal point on offense down the stretch.
Hodgins made his first appearance with Big Blue in Week 10 against the Houston Texans, hauling in two receptions for 41 yards. Nobody gave the performance a second thought, given the small sample size, but he has quickly carved out a substantial role for himself on an otherwise deficient Giants offense.
In fact, against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, he was targeted 11 times, accruing eight receptions for 89 yards and a score. He earned a 72.7% catch rate, scoring his third touchdown over the past four weeks.
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The New York Giants have struck gold with Isaiah Hodgins:
So far on the season, Hodgins has accrued 350 yards and three scores, with 309 and all of his touchdowns coming with the Giants across the last seven games. He currently hosts an 80.6% catch rate, 10.7 yards per reception, and 44.1 yards per game. Not only has he become one of the team’s most reliable pass catchers, but is Daniel Jones’s favorite target over the past few games.
The Giants’ leading receiver remains Darius Slayton, who has played a substantial number of snaps compared to Hodgins, but the former Oregon State standout has all but locked himself into an active roster spot for 2023 & beyond.
As a former sixth-round pick from the Bills back in 2020, this is the first time Hodgins has received a legitimate opportunity, especially since Buffalo has a stacked wide receiver room that simply wouldn’t allow him to carve out a role.
Luckily for Isaiah, the Giants have sustained a number of injuries on offense that led to him being scooped up. Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard both suffered ACL tears this year, forcing the Giants to look elsewhere to fill their spots on the roster.
Richie James and Slayton have had to step up, but with Kenny Golladay failing to make an impact and essentially being factored out on a weekly basis, Hodgins and his surprisingly impressive route-running capabilities have risen to the occasion.
In fact, he hauled in a beautiful 29-yard reception against Minnesota, grabbing the ball with his fingertips, courtesy of a deep pass from Daniel Jones.
He made several impressive grabs, building upon an impressive start to his career with the Giants. At 6’4″ and 209 pounds, the 24-year-old receiver is unsuspectingly quick and agile, filling Golladay’s projected role with ease.