3. Evan Engram, tight end, New York Giants
At first glance, this move looked like it might be great for Engram and Big Blue. But after some contemplation, and after seeing who else Jerry Reese drafted, it’s clear the Giants bungled this pick, and their 2017 NFL Draft overall.
First off, the Giants continue to fail Eli Manning when it comes to protection up front. New York’s offensive line was graded as the No. 20-ranked unit at the end of the year by the folks at Pro Football Focus, and the old eyeball test tells us the same thing — Manning faces a ton of pressure on a regular basis. Yet Reese took just one offensive lineman (at the bottom of the draft), and he could have nabbed the top offensive lineman at either guard or tackle with the No. 23 overall pick.
With that out of the way, let’s focus on why Engram landed with the wrong team. In addition to the fact that he’s not going to be much help whatsoever in the running game, Engram is essentially a glorified receiver — not a tight end. At 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds, he’s a receiver posing as a tight end.
New York has been searching for a long-term answer at tight end ever since the days of Jeremy Shockey. Engram isn’t that guy, and what’s worse is he’ll have a hard time finding targets playing with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and veteran Brandon Marshall.