New York Giants: 5 players who exceeded expectations in 2017

Big Blue is coming off arguably the worst season in franchise history.

The New York Giants posted a franchise-worst 13 losses in 2017 and finished the season with a league-high 21 players on injured reserve.

Odell Beckham Jr., Janoris Jenkins, Weston Richburg, Justin Pugh, and Landon Collins were just some of the notable names to land on IR. New York’s issues were much bigger than just injuries though.

Poor execution in all three phases and a lack of effort at times led to the franchise’s lowest win total since 1983. The Giants have since moved on from head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese, and newly appointed general manager Dave Gettleman has already started the interview process for the organization’s next head coach.

While the G-Men are in need of culture change this offseason, some of Big Blue’s players did exceed expectations in 2017. Injuries led to opportunities for New York’s backups, and a handful of players took advantage of the playing time.

#5 – TE Evan Engram

Devon Kennard or John Jerry could have taken this spot, but Engram’s numbers in his rookie year were likely higher than anyone expected.

The Giants first-round pick out of Ole Miss led Big Blue’s offense with a team-high 64 receptions and six touchdowns and finished second on the team in receiving yards (722). Despite multiple dropped passes, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound tight end was arguably the team’s best offensive weapon after Beckham’s season-ending injury.

Engram set a franchise record for the most touchdown receptions for a tight end in his rookie season. He recorded a team-high 11 receptions of 20-yards or more and was arguably the team’s Rookie of the Year.

Engram exceeded expectations in his first season. He continually stepped up his play after multiple injuries to New York’s receiving corps, but it’s not as though New York’s first-round pick was flying under the radar at the outset of the 2017 season.

#4 – LB Kelvin Sheppard

New York’s front office didn’t make too many smart moves in 2017 but re-signing Sheppard midseason proved to be a wise decision.

The Giants signed the seven-year veteran linebacker to a one-year deal in early November. Sheppard would go on to start six of seven games for Big Blue down the stretch and finished ninth on the team in tackles (49) despite missing more than half of the season.

The 6-foot-2, 249-pound veteran was arguably New York’s best linebacker in 2017 alongside Kennard, and no Giants fans can say they expected that.

Sheppard was cut by the Chicago Bears following the preseason. He’s likely to draw some interest in free agency this offseason, especially given his play in the team’s final six games.

The former third-round pick out LSU was New York’s only linebacker to record multiple interceptions (2) and led the position group with four passes batted down.

#3 – DT Dalvin Tomlinson

Tomlinson cracking this list should come as no surprise. The 6-foot-3, 317-pound defensive tackle immediately filled the void left by Johnathan Hankins in free agency.

Tomlinson started all 16 games in 2017. New York’s second-round pick out Alabama was among Pro Football Focus’ rookie honorable mentions after the regular season. He was listed alongside fellow rookies Cooper Kupp, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Christian McCaffrey, Budda Baker, and Jamal Adams.

Tomlinson led all rookie interior defensive linemen with 23 run stops entering the team’s regular season finale and finished the year with 50 combined tackles and one sack. The 55th overall pick in the 2017 draft was clearly Big Blue’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.

While New York’s roster may be in need of a total overhaul this offseason, the team’s defensive tackle position may be their greatest strength.

#2 – RB Orleans Darkwa

Giants second-year running back Paul Perkins was expected to lead New York’s rushing attack in 2017, but after four poor outings to start the season, New York’s coaching staff finally made a change.

The G-Men opted to start Darkwa in Week 5 and quickly realized what the undrafted running back could bring to an offense. Despite running behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines, the fourth-year running back out of Tulane posted multiple career-highs.

In his first four starts in 2017, Darkwa surpassed 65 rushing yards three times, and drew praise from running backs coach Craig Johnson midseason, via New York’s team website.

"“He epitomizes what it is to be a New York Giant. He’s had to fight his way. He’s been given nothing. He’s earned his way on this team. He’s earned his way to get the time he’s done and he has, again, had a lot of success and he’s stacked it”"

The 5-foot-11, 219-pound tailback was instrumental in all three of New York’s wins in 2017, amassing 345 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the wins. Darkwa earned a $200,000 bonus with his play in the team’s regular season finale, surpassing 750 rushing yards while averaging at least four yards per carry on the year.

He scored five of New York’s six rushing touchdowns. Not many Giants fans thought before the season Darkwa would outplay Perkins, Wayne Gallman, and Shane Vereen. But that’s exactly what he did.

#1 – CB Ross Cockrell

The G-Men acquired Cockrell through a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers eight days before their regular season opener. The acquisition was expected to bring depth to New York’s secondary, and few thought the fourth-year corner would make an impact on the field.

But that’s exactly what Cockrell did. He went from backup to difference maker. Pro Football Focus listed the 6-foot, 191-pound cornerback as New York’s fifth highest graded player in 2017, trailing only Tomlinson, Olivier Vernon, Landon Collins, and Damon Harrison.

Despite only starting nine games, Cockrell lead Big Blue’s defense with 11 pass breakups. He also snagged three interceptions in the team’s last two games, tying Jenkins for a team-high three interceptions on the year.

While Cockrell was far from perfect in 2017, has was one of the league’s best cornerbacks in the final quarter of the regular season.

Cockrell is set to test free agency this offseason and will likely garner plenty of interest given how he finished the year.

Next: Updated Top 25 Draft Targets