pat freiermuth

New York Giants: Kyle Pitts not the only tight end draft choice to consider

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New York Giants, Brevin Jordan

The New York Giants are focusing on improving their offense this offseason. Heading into the 2020 regular season, fans were fairly optimistic about the future of the Giants’ offense. There was a lot of excitement surrounding players such as Saquon Barkley, Darius Slayton, and Evan Engram.

Unfortunately, Barkley tore his ACL in Week 2 and missed most of the season. Darius Slayton struggled to stand out consistently and seems to have fallen into a secondary wide receiver role. Tight end Evan Engram was expected to have a big breakout season. This was the first year where Evan Engram was able to stay healthy and play in all sixteen games. Unfortunately, Engram did not break through the ceiling as most fans expected him to.

Evan’s role expanded significantly in 2020. He was often the first read and primary target in Jason Garrett’s play calls. Engram was targeted 109 times this season. He only found the end zone twice this year, though, and had a total of 11 drops on the year. Six passes that targeted Engram were intercepted this year and he lost a fumble.

Evan Engram was a bad-play magnet this past season. Of course, he still flashed his potential with some incredible performances, like in Week 12 against the Bengals where he totaled 129 receiving yards. But fans are frustrated with the Giants’ offensive ineptitude and aggravated with Evan Engram’s inconsistent and sometimes damaging performances. This has led many fans and analysts alike to mock stud UF tight end, Kyle Pitts, to the Giants with the eleventh overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

But how likely is it that the Giants actually draft a tight end in the first round and cast Evan Engram aside? It might not be a realistic possibility, though it would be one exciting draft selection. However, there are a couple of other tight end options that the Giants might consider further in the second or third rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Pat Freiermuth

If it were not for Kyle Pitts’s breakout 2020 season, it is highly likely that Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth would have been the top-ranked tight end on the 2021 NFL Draft board. Couple Pitts’s breakout with Freiermuth’s injury-riddled 2020 season, and now analysts are looking at the Penn State product as a second-round lock.

The ceiling is high for Pat Freiermuth. He has drawn comparisons to legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski. Pat even sports the nickname “Baby Gronk” for his violent playing style in college and menacing physical demeanor. In 2018 and 2019, Freiermuth scored a combined total of 15 touchdowns. He was a scoring machine in those seasons and was continuing his career with another impressive season in 2020 before it was cut short.

Probably Pat Freiermuth’s biggest red flag is his injury history. Pat injured his shoulder four games into the 2020 season. The injury required surgery and he missed the rest of the season. This injury has hurt Freiermuth’s draft stock. But this injury and draft stock tumble could make Pat Freiermuth an option for the Giants in the second round.

Brevin Jordan

Another tight end option that could be a target for the Giants in the third or fourth round is Brevin Jordan from Miami. Brevin Jordan is an athletic tight end that is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Jordan has speed and agility that makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing linebackers in man coverage.

Brevin Jordan is another player that had a breakout 2020 season. This past year, Brevin established himself as a true offensive weapon for Miami. The U’s tight end racked up 576 yards and 7 touchdowns on 38 receptions through eight games this season.

With the athleticism that Brevin possesses, he could line up in a variety of alignments in the NFL. Jordan could be used in a wide receiver role, being more of a versatile tight end than the likes of Pat Freiermuth, who projects as an in-line tight end. This versatility, though, could be a reason for the Giants to pass up on Brevin Jordan.

Brevin Jordan is a weapon, which the Giants need. But he might be a weapon a little too similar to the one they currently have at his position. Evan Engram is very much an athletic, matchup-nightmare tight end, like Brevin Jordan. Having two players with the same playing style might not be effective (especially when fans have soured on Engram’s playing style). But if the Giants move on from Engram but like this style of tight end, Brevin Jordan is an exciting mid-round option to consider.

New York Giants could target lowkey stud tight end in 2nd round

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New York Giants, pat freiermuth

As tight end Evan Engram heads into the fifth year of his NFL career, the New York Giants still aren’t completely sold on the fact that he can be their long-term solution at the position.

Engram is a polarizing talent that comes up with spectacular plays and then reverts back to his inadequate self, dropping passes and being directly connected to turnovers. In fact, during the 2020 season, Engram dropped 11 passes and was targeted on five of Daniel Jones’ five interceptions.

Nonetheless, general manager Dave Gettleman has already picked up his fifth-year option for 2021, elevating his pay from $2 million last year to $6 million next season. While his value can still be utilized on game day, I get the sense that the Giants don’t necessarily feel he can be their long term TE, given his inconsistencies in the receiving game.

Engram is primarily known as a receiving threat from the position, with lackluster in-line blocking abilities in the run game. He’s a decent pass blocker, realizing gradual improvement last season, but the Giants could look to the 2021 NFL draft for his eventual replacement.

Most are clamoring about Florida TE Kyle Pitts, but I highly doubt the Giants elect to go that route with the 11th overall pick. Despite Pitts being a wide receiver in a tight end’s body, they have other pressing needs, and I don’t feel confident Jason Garrett can utilize a player like Pitts to his maximum potential.

If not Pitts, the New York Giants can land another great prospect at TE:

However, Garrett does like to use 12 personnel a ton, which utilizes two TEs and one running back. We saw that frequently with Engram and Kaden Smith throughout the year, and there’s one tight end in the second round that could fit the bill perfectly.

Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth represents one of the best options at the position in 2021. During 2020, he recorded 310 receiving yards and one score, but he missed 11 games with a shoulder injury that required surgery. The year prior, in 2019, he helped his team provide seven scores and 507 yards to the air through 13 games. He was expected to take a significant leap forward, averaging 77.5 yards per game in 2020.

Nonetheless, his injury will likely have an effect on his draft stock, but he is the perfect player for the Giants if they want to take a flyer on him in the second round. It is possible he gets taken in the first, but I highly doubt teams will take an opportunity on him with more highly rated players on the board (and he’s coming off an injury-influenced season). However, at 22 years old, he’s a bit older for a rookie entering the NFL, but he has fantastic size to go with his skill set.

At 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, Freiermuth is a quintessential receiving TE who can translate extremely well to the next level. He has a prototypical build for his position and has room to grow with his blocking. He’s not known for his in-line blocking abilities, but that aspect of his game was expected to take a significant step forward in 2020 before his shoulder injury ended his season prematurely.

The medical aspect will likely force him to drop in the draft, and he could fall right into the Giants’ laps. However, his value doesn’t come in the form of blocking, it comes in the form of versatility as a receiver and creating mismatches in coverage.

The NFL is a mismatch league, and acquiring a player like Pat who can dominate in man coverage against linebackers and utilize his big frame to box out corners and safeties,  would be an excellent contribution to the Giants’ offense. In fact, it might be exactly what they’re looking for if Jason Garrett stays as the offensive coordinator. He likes big bodies, similar to Jason Witten from his past in Dallas, and Pat represents just that. He’s even more athletic than Witten was in his prime, but he’s not as refined in blocking. Compared to Engram, he has an additional 2 inches and 20 pounds, giving him that frame to develop his blocking technique and dominate in short/intermediate yardage situations.

Don’t be fooled, though, as he averaged 13.5 yards per reception in 2020, indicating he can get downfield quickly and make plays in traffic. He’s an extremely underrated prospect that should be receiving more attention, and I believe he might be a perfect fit in 12 personnel with Garrett and the Giants.