Top 5 bold predictions for the NY Giants in 2022 NFL Draft
By Zak Musso
NY Giants select two tight ends
In one of his first acts as Giants GM, Joe Schoen removed every tight end from the roster, releasing Kaden Smith and Kyle Rudolph, and smarty letting Evan Engram leave for free agency. Entering free agency, the Giants had zero tight ends on the roster.
Schoen signed Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins, two veteran tight ends, to one-year veteran minimum deals and re-signed Chris Myrick, who memorably caught a game-winning touchdown pass from Daniel Jones with his legs last season. However, since none of these players will likely have a future on the Giants roster past the 2022 season, the Giants must add to the tight end room in the NFL draft.
There are some great options to pick from in Rounds 3 through 5. Trey McBride, Cole Turner, and Isaiah Likely are all college standout tight ends who were the focal points of their school’s passing offense. Greg Dulcich, Jelani Woods, Cade Otton, Charlie Kolar, and Jeremy Ruckert are all versatile tight ends, solid in both run blocking and receiving.
Since tight ends seem to get overlooked in the draft, there is a decent chance all of the above tight ends are still on the board when Round 3 begins, with McBride being the likely exception.
My prediction is that the Giants will use the overlooked tight end position to their advantage and select Charlie Kolar in the fourth round. Kolar is a 6’6, 260-pound versatile tight end, who has upside both as a receiver and a blocker.
Kolar amassed 2,000 receiving yards in his college career and helped transform Iowa State from decades of struggle into a perennial contender, similar to what the Giants are trying to do. Kolar is similar to Bills’ tight end, Dawson Knox, whom Daboll helped turn from a mid-round pick into one of the focal points of one of the league’s best offenses.
I would expect the Giants to double up on the tight end position with their fifth or sixth-round pick, with James Mitchell and Jake Ferguson being logical options.