New York Giants Draft Preview: Tight End
Will the New York Giants take a tight end during the 2016 NFL Draft? We break down their current situation at the position heading into the draft and the likelihood of one being selected.
The New York Giants had a strong start to their offseason with a spending spree to start free agency. But, if the Giants want to truly have a great offseason, they will need to find some success in the NFL Draft beginning Thursday. The Giants have a few holes remaining that they would like to fill, and the draft will afford them that chance.
For this article and others to follow, we will break down the current outlook by position for the Giants, and how much of a need it will be heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. The fourth position we will take a look at is tight end.
Current Depth Chart:
The tight end position was hit hard for the Giants in 2015. They lost veteran blocking tight end Daniel Fells early on, as he had a staph infection and had to deal with MRSA. His life is not in danger, but with all of the surgeries that had to be done his football career probably is. The Giants also lost Larry Donnell for half the season as he suffered a neck injury.
As a result, the Giants had to rely on young, inexperienced players at tight end. Will Tye made the most of his chance, as the Stonybrook University product took advantage of the opportunity placed before him. Tye ended up being fourth on the team with 464 yards, catching 42 passes and three touchdowns. He will factor into the starting spot this season as a result, and will battle it out with Donnell for pass catching duties.
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Jerome Cunningham dealt with injuries of his own, but as things currently stand he is the only real blocker the Giants have at tight end; Tye, Donnell and Matt LaCosse are all more of move tight ends that could be used in the passing game.
There is not much experience here, but the Giants like some of what they have. Donnell showed promise during 2014 before the neck injury set him back in 2015. Tye played well in 2015, and if the Giants can get him to improve in the blocking game he could be a core piece of their offense. The Giants also liked what they saw from LaCosse, and he will be given a shot along with everyone else as there is no clear cut starter at the position currently.
Do not expect that to come from the 2016 NFL Draft either. This draft class is relatively weak on tight ends, as there doesn’t look to be a prospect that is a lock to go in the first round. Hunter Henry is considered the cream of the crop of this class, but he is probably not someone the Giants will target as he has a late first round grade. At that point, there are other more pressing needs for the Giants to address.
Despite the tight end depth chart being underwhelming for the Giants, the NFL Draft is not where they fill find an answer. Tight end is not a position the Giants normally target in the draft, as the last time they selected one was Adrien Robinson in 2012, and we all know how that turned out. The Giants haven’t selected a tight end before Round 3 since 2002 when they selected Jeremy Shockey out of Miami (FL).
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It will certainly not be this season that they end that streak, as the Giants have more pressing needs that will be answered with their first two picks in the draft. On a scale of 1-10, the likelihood of the Giants selecting a tight end is a four. While they need help at the position, a veteran would help more than bringing in another young player that needs time to develop.