For all of the talk about Odell Beckham Jr. being gone and how Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate are going to be fare as the top two receivers in the New York Giants' passing game, one name that has been oddly absent from those discussions is tight end Evan Engram.
Engram is entering his third NFL season and is coming off of an injury-shortened 2018 campaign in which he hauled in 45 receptions for 577 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
During his rookie year when he played almost a full season (15 contests), he caught 64 passes for 722 yards and six scores.
Those are very impressive numbers for a tight end, and yet, for some reason, Engram is flying under the radar heading into 2019 when in all actuality, he is a breakout candidate for the Giants.
Obviously, with Beckham gone, New York is going to have to spread the ball around more in 2019. That means more touches for Shepard, and yes, more touches for Engram.
A freakish athlete who ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, Engram is deadly after the catch and is more like a wide out than a tight end in the open field.
Keep this in mind, too: with Beckham sidelined with a broken ankle from Weeks 6 through 17 in 2017, Engram flourished, and that was just in his rookie season.
Imagine what Engram will do this year with a couple of years of experience under his belt?
And remember: Engram actually struggled with drops during his rookie campaign, catching only 55.7 percent of the passes thrown his way, and yet he still snared 64 balls. His hands then improved drastically during his second season, as he posted a catch rate of 70.3 percent.
Given his size, athleticism, improving hands, and the likelihood that he will earn more targets in 2019, it's hard not to make a case for Engram being one of the most likely players to bust out in New York.
Now, we do need to acknowledge the Giants' volatile quarterback situation and shaky offensive line, as New York's passing game struggled to find consistency as a whole in 2018.
New York drafted rookie signal-caller Daniel Jones in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and if the Giants fall out of playoff contention early (which is a distinct possibility), Jones may supplant Eli Manning as the starter under center.
If that occurs, Engram's numbers may naturally be suppressed a bit, as the inexperienced Jones is likely to experience some bumps along the way, but if Manning remains the starter or if Jones is more competent than we think early on, Engram has a chance to have a spectacular season.
The Giants made Engram a first-round pick in 2017 for a reason. This kid is incredibly talented, and he has already shown he is capable of doing big things on the NFL level.
So long as he remains healthy in 2019, Engram could be the biggest breakout player on Big Blue. Heck, why stop there? He could also potentially be one of the biggest breakout players in the NFL, period.
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