INDIANAPOLIS – There were so many things that went wrong for the Giants last season that it can be difficult to list and arrange the wines in the right order. So many failures in the standings.
Somewhere on the list is the sad state of affairs in the final position. The vision – Evan Engram as the elusive playmaker, the newcomer Kyle Rudolph as a veteran touchdown maker – never came into focus and the blur was another spokesman in the offensive wheel of incompetence.
Engram is an upcoming free agent and is expected to sign elsewhere. There will be a market for the 27-year-old with 262 career receptions, as Engram with a new team will be unencumbered by the high pedigree, which he failed to withstand.
Rudolph said goodbye on social media on Wednesday, after becoming the first of several salary cuts that new general manager Joe Schoen will make. This move saves the Giants $ 5 million from the ceiling.
The Giants will have to fill that position and there is no doubt that they are in the market with limited positions this week in the NFL Scouting Combine.
It is certainly not inconceivable that the Giants have been thinking long and hard about the secret end of the second day (2nd and 3rd rounds) of the NFL draft. Somewhere in Day 3 (4-7 rounds) it’s probably more reasonable. New head coach Brian Dabol needs some sort of threat in the end to make Daniel Jones’ life easier by entering a season of standing up or breaking up. Not surprisingly, the Giants hosted a formal meeting Wednesday night with Trey McBride of Colorado, who is set to be one of the first tights off the board.
McBride called Andy Bischoff, the Giants’ new coach, a “great man” based on a conversation they had earlier in the day.
A man from a small town in Fort Morgan, Colorado, McBride won the John Mackie Award for Best Tight End in College Football in 2021. As a senior, he caught 90 passes for 1,121 yards and likes to compare his game to that of George Keatle. at 49ers. To hear his name first, before any other tight end, would be something special.
“It really would be a dream come true,” McBride said. “Just being the first person to be chosen would be an incredible honor and something I am constantly working on to achieve that goal.”
The giants cannot lose this position. They have only one healthy end of the list, Chris Myarick. Jake Houseman was signed with a reserve / future contract. Three secret ends – Caden Smith, Levine Toilolo and Raisen John – are on the reserve / wounded list.
Engram, selected from the first round of 2017, had 46 assists of 408 yards and three touchdowns in his fifth and almost definitely final season with the Giants. Four passes to the Giants in 2021, a total of 78 catches in 715 yards and five touchdowns.
McBride is the most successful tight end to pass in this draft. Jeremy Rockert of Lindenhurst on Long Island is near the other end of the spectrum. He caught 54 passes for 615 yards and 12 touchdowns in his four-year career in Ohio. With a set of Buckeyes weapons, the narrow end was often the fourth or fifth option, and the accumulation of eye-catching numbers would not happen.
“I don’t know if underestimation is the right word,” Rockert said of the perception that he has a suspicious ability to make passes. “I am confident. People may not think this is one of my strengths, but I believe in myself, I know what I can do.
“I knew that going to Ohio, the production might not be there, but the person I became, the player I became, the flexibility I was able to adapt to, I don’t regret it at all. That’s what brought me here. “
Other options for the Giants: Cade Otton (Washington), Jalen Weidermeier (Texas A&M), Isaiah Lickley (Coastal Carolina) and Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin).
The giants could add a tight end to the free agency, but they won’t have much to spend. The draft is a more affordable option. With nine choices, there’s room for maneuver, and if Daboll sees the prospect of becoming a tight-end target, it makes sense to add it to the mix.
“I think I’m having a hard time doing anything,” McBride said.
If the Giants agree with this assessment, it could be a match.