Getty Jalen Wydermyer is one of the tight end prospects the Giants could select.
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he New York Giants are set to draft a tight end in this upcoming NFL Draft according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. The likely decision comes in the aftermath of Evan Engram’s departure to the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the club did sign Ricky Seals-Jones this offseason, the 27-year-old journeyman has never been a starting-caliber tight end, playing for five teams in six seasons. Along with Seals-Jones, the team features tight ends Jake Hausmann, Rysen John and Chris Myarick on the roster. This, according to Schwartz, makes it a certainty that the team will use one of their later draft picks to take a tight end to challenge Seals-Jones.
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Where exactly the Giants decide to draft a tight end is what the major question appears to be according to Schwarz. This year’s TE class doesn’t appear likely to come into play early in the draft.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the top tight ends going in the last two picks of the second round in his latest mock draft. The Giants have two picks in the third round (67, 81) and will likely select a TE here depending on what the draft board appears to be here. The aforementioned top TE prospects that Kiper has going first are Trey McBride of Colorado State and Greg Dulcich of UCLA. Bucky Brooks, analyst for NFL.com indeed lists McBride and Dulcich as the top two tight ends in the class in his breakdown of top draft prospects by position.
Giants Will Likely Focus on Next Crop of Tight Ends
Brooks rounds out his top five tight ends list with Jalen Wydermyer, Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods. Wydermyer, 21, spent three seasons at Texas A&M, making Second Team All-SEC each season. In his last season he led the team with 515 receiving yards and ranked second with four receiving touchdowns.
Ruckert, meanwhile, spent four seasons at Ohio State, racking up 615 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. A local product hailing from Long Island, the 21-year-old was unable to perform any running workouts at the combine and pro day due to a foot injury.
Finally, Woods spent his senior season at Virginia and is coming off being named a First Team All-ACC member. The 23-year-old amassed 598 receiving yards in 2021, most among tight ends in the conference. In his four collegiate seasons, including three at Oklahoma State, he compiled 959 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Next Best Tight End Prospects
Other candidates mentioned by Paul Schwartz are Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar and Wisconsin’s Jake Ferguson. Kolar, 23, had a fantastic career with the Cyclones, being named First Team All-Big 12 three times in his four seasons. Additionally, he racked up 2,181 yards and 23 touchdowns, also named Third Team All-American twice.
Ferguson, meanwhile, is coming off a First Team All-Big Ten selection himself, a fitting way to conclude his career with the Badgers. In four seasons there, he recorded 1,618 receiving yards along with 13 touchdowns in 47 games. The Giants may be in prime position to select one of the top tight ends in the class, as the best prospects are expected to go in the middle rounds of the draft. While there are obvious tiers in terms of projected ability in the pros, there are a number of good options for them when they’re ready to select one.