6 TEs Giants should have eye on this draft
target over the middle to complement Brandon Marshall’s 6-4 frame and Odell Beckham Jr.’s elite big-play ability? If he’s there, the Giants are taking him. and an NFL.com scouting report says he can “overwhelm” defensive backs as a blocker, a talent that places him over Evan Engram on our Giants tight end board. Ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at the combine, is a converted quarterback and looks more like a receiver than a tight end, but definitely seems like a safe pick to plug and play and make a difference. The Giants have shown interest here as they have in most top tight ends.
Engram’s 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine was an eye-opener, as is the proof of his in-game ability to take the top off a defense and, frankly, make plays. His lack of reliability as a blocker could take him off the Giants’ board as a first-second round pick target at the forefront of their radar, but someone is going to take him in the late first or early second and get a dynamic receiving threat.
I’m just not sure his lack of size compared to other top tight ends in this draft, and the possibility he’s not as well-rounded as some others, might make him less of a fit for the Giants. Engram could end up being one of the biggest studs of this class, though: He’s drawn comparisons to Washington’s Jordan Reed and last season snagged 65 balls for an eye-opening 926 yards and eight TDs.
The Mackey Award winner is coming off the second torn ACL of his career and is a clear risk, particularly as an immediate impact player, in that regard. Butt proved himself as a Wolverine as a high-character, reliable, every down player who always finds a way to get open and catches everything.
He’s as close to a Jason Witten comparison as a college prospect can be. He probably would have been a first-round pick if he hadn’t gotten hurt in the Orange Bowl. So how far will Butt fall in the draft, and will the Giants be the team that takes a chance on him where he’s projected, no lower than rounds three or four?
I like the idea and I think the Giants could be in for a steal by selecting Butt there. I’m just skeptical they won’t have picked a tight end already by then. Because even if the Giants’ preferred tight end isn’t available in the first round and they go another direction at 23rd overall, the tight end position is still deep enough for them to go TE in round two and get a big playmaker with size and pedigree who doesn’t carry the same injury risk as Butt. 2017