The New York Giants have been searching for a solid and reliable tight end for quite some time, it seems. Ever since Kevin Boss left the Giants in 2011, they have had a hard time finding someone who could replicate his career in New York, where he spent four seasons. Tight ends Larry Donnell, Evan Engram, and, most recently, Darren Waller all had a hard time playing on a consistent level for the Giants.
After the retirement of the aforementioned Waller who played just one season for ‘Big Blue,’ the Giants drafted his replacement as they selected Theo Johnson out of Penn State with their fourth-round pick. Despite Johnson not putting up huge numbers during his days at Penn State that won’t blow many people away, he may just end up being the tight end of the future for this franchise.
Great Speed and Pass-Catching Ability
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Despite Engram showing flashes and being a solid pass-catching and fast-tight end during his four seasons with the Giants and Waller also showing glimpses of greatness, they both had their issues. Engram tended to drop too many passes and Waller could not stay healthy last year. Now, with a much younger tight end in Theo Johnson, he brings a lot more to the table.
For Johnson’s size which is 259 pounds, he can be a speedster and a potential weapon for Daniel Jones this season. During the NFL Combine, he ran 4.57 seconds at the 40-yard dash and showed that he not only has great hands to catch the football with but can also produce on offense for the Giants. Johnson also in New York’s preseason game against the Houston Texans last Saturday showed his agility. Despite having just one four-yard reception, he hurdled over a Texans defender which we haven’t seen a Giants tight end do for a while.
During his final collegiate season, Theo Johnson set career highs in receptions with 32, receiving yards with 320, and had six touchdowns as well as averaging over 10.5 yards a catch. If Johnson can replicate that final season he had in college, he could show why he was worth being selected in the NFL Draft. Despite having a third-year tight end in Daniel Bellinger, Johnson could still provide a lot to the New York Giants offense.
Added help for the offensive line
The Giants offensive line has been bad for many years now but maybe now it may see some drastic improvements. After leading the NFL in sacks allowed last season with 85 as well as seeing their quarterback get sacked 11 times in primetime last season, it looks like with the moves the Giants made, it may finally be better. While they made some great moves to get veteran pieces for their O-line, Johnson could provide some more help for their struggling offensive line.
When Theo Johnson was being scouted at the combine this past offseason, one of his strengths that many scouts said he provided was how good of a blocking tight end he is. For a Giants team that saw so many offensive line shake-ups last season and did not have a reliable blocking tight end, can Johnson be the answer they might need to protect their signal-caller?
Plus, according to Pro Football Focus, Theo Johnson ranked 45th among 88 qualified tight ends in run-blocking grade and 59th in pass protection. While that’s not an incredible stat that will blow you away, those numbers can still show what kind of work they can work on with Johnson and be even better in the NFL.
