Evan Engram is settling in as a rookie, the New York Giants first-round pick now attempting to acclimate in his initial training camp.
If Engram can settle in and produce for the Giants, then this entire offense has the potential to be very good.
The most prolific tight end in Ole Miss history, Engram was brought into the Giants to help stretch the field and take the pressure off star wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall along with rising talent Sterling Shepard.
Engram is flexible, comfortable in the stance or in the slot, a big talent who rises to the ball well and runs a clean route.
What he isn’t or at least what he wasn’t known for in college was blocking. But Engram said that this alleged weakest part of his game is growing and developing.
“I got a little stronger and put on a little more weight,” Engram said on Sunday. “I’m learning some things, learning some more technique that helps me in the trenches, so definitely. I feel like I improved a lot and I’m excited to get the pads on.”
His college career where he had 162 receptions and averaged 14.3 yards per catch shows a player with the potential to step in right away for the Giants and contribute.
As for his blocking, it likely isn’t the most crucial part of his game as the Giants are hoping to be more multiple in their offense and their looks; Engram’s skillset certainly gives them a dimension that was missing last year. He uses his length and wingspan well and gets solid yards after the catch.
In many ways, training camp might be harder for Engram than an actual NFL game. The Giants have a star-studded defense, a unit that stepped up big at the end of last year to be among the best in the league over the second half of the season.
That Engram gets to test himself every day against this group will aid his development.
“Those guys fly around and they’re, I think, the best defense in the league,” Engram said. “They’re going to make us better and we have to embrace competition. So it’s going to make us stronger and make us a more complete offense going ahead up on them and being physical with them.”
