New York Giants safety Landon Collins and tight end Evan Engram are both selections on NFL.com’s All-Under-25 team for the 2018 season.
Early Monday, NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison selected who he thought were the best players under 25 years of age for each position.
With players from 16 different organizations chosen, the New York Giants represented one of the few with multiple players.
Tight end Evan Engram was said by Harrison to have “developed into a bright spot as a rookie.”
As the 23rd pick of the 2017 draft, the former Ole’ Miss Rebel outproduced all other rookie tight-ends his first year. Engram racked up 64 receptions, 722 yards and six touchdowns. This went on to make him a beneficial asset in what was a disappointing season for Big Blue.
Engram also had to develop into a new role in his first year in the NFL. Playing mostly on the line-of-scrimmage in college, the Giants had the rookie playing mostly in the slot. In this offseason’s spring workouts, the Giants even had him taking reps split-wide and in the backfield.
Ed Valentine of Big Blue View was able to discuss this adjustment with Engram.
“It was definitely something to get used to last year, especially being in college, never really attached [to the line],” Engram said. “But I definitely got used to it last year and got a little comfortable towards the middle and into the season.”
The second under-25 player from the Giants is one that’s a definite expectation. Safety Landon Collins was drafted in 2015 out of Alabama and became a dominant defensive back from the start. In just his second year, the former 2nd-round pick was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Collins was also the leader of that 2016 Giants defense that stood as one of the prominent defenses in the NFL that season. In his three-year career, he’s recorded 341 tackles as well as eight interceptions. That averages to an insane amount of nearly 114 tackles each year. Furthermore, this becomes one of the many great reasons he’s on this list.
