One of the few bright spots this season for the New York Giants, rookie Evan Engram has shown that he can be a star in this league.
Many felt it would have made more sense for the Giants to draft an offensive lineman instead of a tight end, but you can’t deny how productive Engram has been thus far.Through four games he has 19 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown. He’s too quick for linebackers to cover, and his 6-3 240 pound frame makes it almost impossible for defensive backs to match up.
Engram is actually catching a higher percentage of his targets (63 percent) than Odell Beckham Jr. (61 percent).
This is why it should be Engram, not Beckham featured as the focal point of the Giants passing game this week against the Chargers.
The Chargers have an outstanding front seven, especially with their edge rushers in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa.
Now, we already know the Giants have tackle struggles when facing edge rushers. To make things worse, Weston Richburg will be sitting Sunday’s game with a concussion.
So Eli Manning may not have time to connect with receivers downfield come Sunday afternoon.
Featuring Engram in the Giants short passing game, or having him spread out wide to create mismatches makes sense.
Last week against the Eagles, the Chargers struggled covering tight end Zach Ertz who finished the game with 5 receptions for 81 yards.
Engram is much quicker than Ertz, so it’s safe to assume that he will have as much success, if not more than Ertz when playing Los Angeles.
The New York Giants season is on life support. If they have any chance at resurrecting this year, they need to feature the 23-year old Evan Engram on Sunday.