Monster undrafted tight end looking to make his mark with NY Giants

Even though the NY Giants seem pretty set at the tight end position, the team still went out and signed an intriguing massive tight end prospect.

Rysen John wasn’t a name many were discussing during the lead up to the 2020 NFL Draft, but maybe they should have been. Nonetheless, NY Giants GM Dave Gettleman was thrilled to see him go undrafted so he could pounce on the converted tight end.

John started in Canada at Division II Simon Frasier University, using his towering height to bully his competition. The 6’7 specimen played wide receiver at a Canadian college, but he simply won’t have the athleticism required to be able to give that position a go in the NFL.

No matter, though, as he projects to be an enticing tight end prospect if he can fill out his 240-pound frame. John ran a 4.68 40 time and showed during his time in college that he has plenty of ball skills.

In just 25 career games, Rysen John snagged 112 balls for 1,675 yards and 19 touchdowns. In his final season alone he racked up 861 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to being named his team’s MVP.

https://twitter.com/NYGFansOnline/status/1254230700951252992

Despite these numbers coming against lesser competition than most prospects face in college, these numbers are nothing to sneeze at and show that John is a budding playmaker.

Where does he fit in with the tight end group?

Unfortunately for Rysen John, he’s joining a team in the NY Giants that is absolutely loaded and very deep at the tight end position. Evan Engram, Kaden Smith, and Levine Toilolo are virtually guaranteed roster spots, and Big Blue currently has four other tight ends on its roster.

One thing John has going for him is that the NFL expanded team’s roster sizes as a provision in the new CBA. As of 2020, teams will now have two extra spots on their active roster and two more extra spots on its practice squad, making John’s longshot much more achievable.

It’s not inconceivable that the Giants will end up rolling with as many as six tight ends total; four on the active roster and two on the practice squad. Jason Garrett loves his tight ends, and the offense is expected to run many more heavy packages in 2020.

In that scenario, John would only have to beat out one other player to land a spot on at least the practice squad, and that includes another undrafted free agent. However, it’s more likely the team will only carry five tight ends and in that scenario, he’d have to put together a really solid camp and preseason to outlast two members of his competition.

Should he end up making the squad and someday down the line actually take meaningful snaps, it’ll be fascinating to see how the team will use him.

Due to him coming up as a wideout, he’s going to have a leg up on the competition in terms of route running and he could be a candidate for a wideout/tight end hybrid role which only increases his value.