Evan Engram

Giants TE Evan Engram To Miss Time

Giants tight end Evan Engram sprained his MCL and will be considered week to week, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The second-year tight end will be out for Sunday’s game against the Saints and his availability is in doubt for subsequent weeks. 

Engram, chosen 23rd overall in the 2017 draft, was hit low by Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson after a catch on Sunday. The tight end gained 19 yards on the play, but it proved to be his only reception of the day.

The Giants are expected to lean a bit more on Rhett Ellison while Engram is out, and they also have Scott Simonson on the roster as a backup. Ellison is known mostly for his blocking ability, however, so the Giants may look to survey outside options.

Giants Sign Evan Engram

The Giants have signed their first-round pick, tight end Evan Engram, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter). The team’s entire six-player draft class is now under contract.

Evan Engram

Engram, whom the Giants chose 23rd overall, played the previous four years at Ole Miss, where he combined for 162 receptions and 15 touchdowns. He pulled in career highs in catches (65), yards (926) and scores (eight) last year en route to First-Team All-America honors and a high selection in the draft. Now, the field-stretching Engram (6-foot-3, 234 pounds) should take over as the Giants’ top tight end, supplanting Will Tye, who caught 48 passes for a paltry 8.2 yards per reception last season.

Here’s a refresher on the rest of Big Blue’s picks:

Giants Notes: OL, Blount, Engram, Mahomes

The Giants exit draft weekend without many questions about their defense, but their offense has a few. Mainly, Big Blue’s offensive line may still have some issues, particularly after the blocking prospect the team preferred, Garett Bolles, went just before New York made its first-round selection. The Giants were hoping the Broncos, whose left tackle need is probably bigger than theirs since former first-rounder Ereck Flowers is an option in New York, would bypass Bolles in favor of Ryan Ramczyk or Cam Robinson, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. Multiple sources told Vacchiano the Giants zeroed in on Bolles at No. 23, but Jerry Reese has not made a first-round draft maneuver — up or down — in his 11 years leading the franchise.

With Vacchiano noting the Giants were not as high on Ramczyk or Robinson, the Giants moved on. They did not select an offensive lineman until the sixth round, though, which is interesting for a team that has concerns — per the New York-embedded reporter — about Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg and newly signed D.J. Fluker entering contract years. Earlier this month, Reese said the positions up front weren’t solidified. So, the statuses of Flowers and Fluker, who played right tackle and right guard with the Chargers, are probably yet to be determined.

Here’s more from the Giants, courtesy of Vacchiano.

  • Multiple sources refuted talk of the Giants wanting to trade up to No. 10 to select Patrick Mahomes, who went to the Chiefs after they made a 17-spot jump. The Giants would have been willing to consider Mahomes at No. 23, per Vacchiano. But with Eli Manning likely to play out his contract as the team’s starter, and he’s signed through 2019, using a first-rounder on a quarterback may not have made much sense.
  • LeGarrette Blount was linked to the Giants on multiple occasions earlier this month, but the team’s selection of Clemson running back Wayne Gallman in the fourth round may have closed that avenue for the 30-year-old Blount. The Giants, though, haven’t moved on from the prospect of adding Blount, Vacchiano reports. However, it looks like they are going with a backfield depth chart that houses Gallman, Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen and Shaun Draughn.
  • The Giants opted to select Evan Engram over David Njoku, doing so despite the Miami product receiving a bit more pre-draft hype, and that pick was viewed by some as a reach. But Vacchiano notes buzz swirled about a team trying to trade up in front of the Giants to select Engram, identifying the Bills and Falcons as interested suitors. The Browns traded back into the first round to take Njoku, so they may have been in on this pursuit as well. Njoku was scheduled to visit the Giants earlier this month, but the team cancelled the meeting.
  • A jump in front of the Buccaneers or Broncos for the right to take O.J. Howard, whom the Giants “loved,” or Bolles would have cost the team a third-round pick, Vacchiano reports. The Giants stood tight at 23, viewing Engram and third-round pick Davis Webb as a better package than either Howard or Bolles.
  • Webb’s addition makes Geno Smith‘s place in New York odd, with Vacchiano writing the former Jets starter is almost certain to open camp on the PUP list and is a likely candidate for the Reserve/PUP come the regular season. Smith is recovering from a torn ACL and is signed through 2017 only. Vacchiano views returning backup Josh Johnson as the favorite to beat out Smith for a job. This could end up being a paid rehab year for the fifth-year passer, especially considering Manning hasn’t missed a start since becoming the starting quarterback in 2004.

Draft Rumors: Broncos, Titans, Peppers

The latest NFL Draft rumors:

  • I’d caution you to take this with a grain of salt, but that disclaimer comes with most of the draft rumblings that you’ll hear today. The Broncos have talked to the Titans about trading up to the No. 5 pick, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. The asking price might be too rich for the Broncos, Cole notes, but it’s at least something that they’re exploring.
  • It sounds like teams are more concerned with Jabrill Peppers‘ fit in an NFL defense than his diluted urine sample at the combine, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. His stock, apparently, remains the same as it was a few weeks ago: he could go late in the first, but it’s more likely he goes in the second round, per Pelissero.
  • In a bit of a surprise, Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram is making a push to sneak into the first round, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That could lead to three tight ends being taken in the first round between Alabama’s O.J. Howard, Miami’s David Njoku, and Engram. The Giants, Falcons, and Browns are among the potential fits for him in the No. 23-33 area, Pelissero tweets.

Draft Notes: Giants, Jaguars, Bears, Jets

Due to his ability to block and catch passes, Alabama tight end O.J. Howard is likely on top of the Giants draft board, surmises ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. The organization is also high on Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey.

Meanwhile, after having to deal with the Josh Brown situation last season, Raanan believes there’s little chance that the organization ends up selecting embattled running back Joe Mixon. The writer also has a difficult team envisioning the team taking defensive tackle Malik McDowell or running back Dalvin Cook.

Let’s take a look at some other draft notes from around the NFL…

  • Utah offensive tackle Garett Bolles visited the Jaguars last week, reports Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller (via Twitter). As the reporter notes, offensive line coach Pat Flaherty previously worked out the prospect. The lineman attended Snow College for two years before transferring to the University of Utah last year. During his lone season with the team, Bolles was named to the First Team All-Pac-12.
  • The Bears are set to meet with Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram, reports Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times (via Twitter). The senior finished with career-highs across the board in 2016, collecting 65 receptions for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. Engram has been commended for his blocking ability, and his 6-foot-3 frame has led some to compare him to Redskins tight end Jordan Reed.
  • The Jets “really like” Missouri linebacker Charles Harris, writes ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. The junior finished last season with 35 tackles and nine sacks. The writer notes that the linebacker would fit into the team’s scheme as a rush linebacker. Meanwhile, Cimini notes that Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan is “married to his best-player-available philosophy,” which could lead to the organization selecting running back Leonard Fournette or Howard with the sixth-overall pick.

Draft Updates: Ramsey, Goff, Underclassmen

With five weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, not many teams are looking ahead to the draft yet, but the NCAA year is winding down and many underclassmen are determining whether or not to declare their intent to enter this year’s draft class. Here’s the latest on a few prospects:

  • Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey and his family have spent “meaningful time” vetting potential agents as he considers entering the draft, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. That’s no surprise, considering Ramsey is a potential top-10 pick.
  • A pair of receivers, Florida’s Demarcus Robinson and Pitt’s Tyler Boyd, are strongly considering entering the draft, according to Getlin (Twitter links). Getlin adds that one of Boyd’s family members has been looking into possible representation.
  • Sources close to Cal quarterback Jared Goff indicate that there’s a 99% chance he’ll enter the draft, and wide receiver Kenny Lawler is expected to declare as well, writes Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. Bengals receiver Marvin Jones has been a common point of comparison for Lawler, per Pauline.
  • Boise State edge defender Kamalei Correa, who has received second-day grades, has been interviewing agents and is very likely to enter the draft, says Pauline. Maryland defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson and San Diego State cornerback Damontae Kazee are also likely to enter the draft, according to Pauline.
  • Indiana guard Dan Feeney, Mississippi State defensive tackle Chris Jones, and Mississippi defensive back Tony Conner are waiting to hear back from the advisory committee before making a decision on the draft, per Pauline.
  • Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil, defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, and receiver Laquon Treadwell are all expected to enter the draft, says Pauline.
  • Other underclassmen considering making the jump to the NFL, according to Pauline:
    • Texas A&M defensive end Daeshon Hall
    • Alabama cornerback Eddie Jackson
    • Louisville safety Josh Harvey-Clemons
    • Mississippi tight end Evan Engram