Mike Mayock sees talented tight end available for Giants at No. 23

It is still too early to tell but the New York Giants might need to go tight end with their first pick in April’s NFL Draft. And if they want to land a top-tier prospect then they might just grab a local kid from New Jersey when they go No. 23 overall.

David Njoku is coming off two productive seasons at Miami where he showed athleticism and an ability to make plays in the open field. Last year, Njoku had 43 catches for 698 yards, also proving to be a force in the red zone with eight touchdowns. Given the Giants need (as of right now) at tight end, he might be a good fit to stay in the tristate area.

He was, after all, a highly recruited player out of Cedar Grove, N.J. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock sees Njoku being available in the mid-to-later part of the first round along with O.J. Howard, the highly-ranked Alabama tight end.

“Typically when you start talking about first-round tight ends, they come in to play somewhere in that second half of the first rounds. And I think that’s what’s going to happen with Howard and Njoku,” Mayock said on a conference call on Monday to preview the upcoming NFL Combine. “Haven’t gone through a bunch of team needs here, so I can’t sit here and tell you if I think the head of the Giants is going to take a tight end. I do think that Howard and Njoku would both be in a conversation at that point, though. They’re both that talented.”

Part of the intrigue behind Njoku is his freakish talent. In high school, he won the national championship in the high jump, clearing six-feet-11-inches.