By what metric is NY Giants’ Evan Engram a Pro Bowler?

The Pro Bowl TEs

It would of been criminal had Evan Engram been named a starting TE in the Pro Bowl.

When you compare Engram to his AFC counterparts, it appears as though they play different positions.

Kansas City’s Travis Kelce has 98 receptions, almost twice as many as Engram. He also has amassed over 1,300 yards, far more than twice as many as Engram. He has 10 touchdowns (Engram has one), 72 first downs (Engram, 28), averages 94.1 yards per game (Engram, 41), and a catch percentage of 74.2% (Engram, 56.8).

Kielce does have two drops this season, which resulted in two interceptions. Still, the passer rating when he’s targeted is 124.5%.

Kelce is the top-shelf tight end of choice, and his numbers stand far above all others in his position. But not far behind is Las Vegas’ Darren Waller.

Waller is the only other Pro Bowl TE with over 90 receptions. He has 93, with 967 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s averaging 69.1 yards per game, and has a catch percentage of 72.1. Waller, like Kelce, has more than 500 yards after catch. And he’s hard to bring down; he has 7 broken tackles.

Waller’s four drops have resulted in two interceptions, but the passer rating when he’s targeted is 107.6%.

Engram does seem to fit in better with the bottom-shelf tight ends of the NFC. While most of his numbers remain behind Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson, many are within striking distance.

Engram leads Hockenson in targets (95 vs. 92). And it should also be worth mentioning that Engram has the longest reception of the bunch, with a 53-yard play. But Hockenson was named the NFC starter for a reason.

He has 60 receptions for 675 yards. He has six touchdowns, 38 first downs, 48.2 yards per game, and a catch percentage of 65.2%.

Hockenson is not too far in front of Engram in the “bad” metrics. He has a 7.6 drop percentage to go with his seven drops, four of which resulted in interceptions. The 90.6% passer rating when Hockenson is targeted, though, is nearly double that of when Engram is targeted.

So, Engram leads his NFC counterpart in targets and has the longest play of the bunch. But outside of that, he is dead-last in most categories, and far, far behind the leader in many of the most important.

But maybe that’s because the NFC is just behind the curve when it comes to the modern day tight end.