New York Giants 2017 Roster Preview: Wide Receivers

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GREEN BAY, WI – JANUARY 08: Tavarres King (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Tavarres King, Darius Powe, Roger Lewis, and Travis Rudolph

The New York Giants have eight other wide receivers fighting for the last two spots but it will likely come down to these four.

Tavarres King was on the Giants in 2016 after spending 2015 on their practice squad. King saw action in just seven games last year and didn’t really get a chance to catch passes until Week 17.

King made sure not to waste the opportunity. He hauled in a 44-yard catch in the regular season finale that set up a go-ahead field goal. Then, in the Giants Wild Card round matchup against the Green Bay Packers, King caught three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

In his strong finish to the season, King showed off his speed and ability to haul in the deep ball. If he can get back from his ankle injury and pick up where he left off, it will be tough for the Giants not to give Tavarres King another shot.

Darius Powe spent last season on the Giants practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent out of California.

Powe’s biggest advantage over his competitors for the last wide receiver spot is his size. At 6’3″ 220 lb., Powe is bigger than every Big Blue receiver not named Brandon Marshall. The second year receiver also has a year of the Giants offense under his belt.

Powe has been impressive in training camp thus far, taking advantage of the opportunities that Sterling Shepard and Tavarres King’s injuries have provided him.

After just missing out on a roster spot last year, Powe is determined to make the final cut this season.

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Roger Lewis was often the gunner on the opposite side of Dwayne Harris last year. He also downed many Brad Wing punts close to the goal line but the Bowling Green product offers more upside as a receiver.

Lewis appeared in 13 games last season, including one start, and caught seven passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Lewis is extremely talented but went undrafted due to off-field issues. Originally an Ohio State commit, Lewis lost that offer after being charged with two counts of rape while in high school.

The wide receiver was acquitted of one count and took a plea deal for the other, but he didn’t leave his troubles behind in high school. Just this summer, Lewis was arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired. He later got the charges dismissed.

The Giants knew about the rape charges when they signed Lewis as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and they’ve kept him around after his June OVI arrest, so it appears New York is okay having the second-year receiver on their roster.

If the final wide receiver spot comes down to Roger Lewis or Darius Powe, however, Lewis’ character issues may come back to bite him.

Travis Rudolph signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent back in May after three years at Florida State.

Rudolph became famous when he ate lunch with an autistic boy who was sitting by himself. The former Seminole also lost his father to an accidental shooting just a week before the NFL Draft.

We’re all rooting for Rudolph but, unfortunately, he’s going to have a tough time making the Giants roster.

At 6’0″ 190 lb., the rookie is about the same size as the rest of Big Blue’s wideouts. New York is deep at wide receiver and it will be tough for Rudolph to stand out, especially considering he doesn’t have a ton of special teams experience.

A breakout preseason performance could always change things but right now, Travis Rudolph seems like a practice squad candidate.

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