Who Is The Best Tight End In NY Giants Franchise History?

Understandably, quarterback, running back, and wide receiver seem to be getting all the attention. However, with Darren Waller's future in question, the New York Giants may have a need for the tight end position as well. This got us thinking about the great Giants tight-end players in franchise history.

#89 and #80 certainly come to mind. Furthermore, what's unique about the guys who have played tight end for Big Blue is that some of those that were not huge names did have huge plays in Super Bowl seasons. For example, in the 2008 Super Bowl vs. the big bad undefeated New England Patriots, Kevin Boss had one catch for 45 yards, which was a crucial moment in winning the big game.

Before we spend too much time in the past here, let's look at the current Giants tight-end room. Even if Waller is there, he has often been injured. Daniel Bellinger had a great rookie season but was impacted by injuries last year as well. Recently, they signed Chris Manhertz and Jack Stoll.

Regardless, in any era, the Giants' tight-end spot is a very important position. It provides stability to the offense and gives the quarterback another weapon, especially in the red zone.

#4 Howard Cross

Cross was consistently a tough blocker who won a Super Bowl with the team in 1990. He also had over 200 receptions over his 13 years in the NFL, all of which were with the Giants. #87 currently serves as a sideline reporter for Giants game days.

#3 Aaron Thomas

Thomas is maybe the lesser-known name of the bunch. He played in New York from 1962-1970. During this time, he scored 35 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl. Of the Giants tight ends of mention, Thomas had the most touchdowns.

#2 Jeremy Shockey

Perhaps more like #1a. Shockey was must-see TV during his six seasons with the Giants. #80 was loud, full of energy, and electric on the field. Though he did technically win a Super Bowl with the team, he was injured and did not play in the game. As dynamic as Shockey was for New York, you can't help but wish he had more time on the team.

#1 Mark Bavaro

Just tough as nails. If Rocky Balboa played in the NFL it was Mark Bavaro. It's hard to think of #89 and have Bavaro pop right to mind. He was a very important part of the team's first two Super Bowl victories. Surprisingly, Bavaro too played just six season in New York. He hauled in 28 touchdowns and is in the team's ring of honor.

This is the time of year when sports talk starts to get dominated by NFL draft talk. Speculation and theories galore factor into analysts' suggestions on who each time will or should take. Here, we will "redraft" all of the Giants first round picks of the past five years. The team is an important spot this year, with high hopes that they will get it right and set the franchise up for future success.

Let's face it: it's been a tumultuous ride since the GMen last won the Super Bowl in 2012. It has been a roller coaster of sorts, where certain players have unexpectedly succeeded, and many have not met expectations. What's unique about analyzing the top picks since 2019 is that it covers different front office staffs. Dave Gettleman was the team's General Manager from 2018 to 2021. Joe Schoen then took over in 2022. In addition, the past five years have seen three different head coaches. Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge each had less-than-successful two-year runs before Brian Daboll came in.

Of course, much of the draft discussion revolves around quarterbacks. The Giants are no exception to this. In fact, what to do with often-injured Daniel Jones is one of the two primary topics this off-season (the other being Saquon Barkley).

As acting GM from 2019 on, this exercise considers the success players have had in the NFL over the past five seasons. It's important to note that each player listed below that we are saying the Giants should have selected was drafted after the choice they actually made. In other words, the Giants passed on each of these players.

Now, with the NFL combine underway, pro days coming up, and prospective meetings, there is a ton of due diligence that goes into each team's draft process. While no team bats a thousand each year, the preparation the organization does pre-draft is essential to creating a plan that is best for the team. Furthermore, the GM and player personnel departments need to be ready to adjust and make quick decisions based on what happened in the current draft before their pick. This is where the Giants fell short (mostly in the Gettleman days) in years past, and had to make a panic move.

Nonetheless, as we wait for this year's big draft day in Detroit, here are our Giants 1st round redraft picks from the five previous years. Imagine this: the Giants could have had Justin Herbert passing to Garrett Wilson, with Micah Parson patrolling the defense.

To be fair, every other team passed on LaPorta as well. In addition, the Giants first round selection last year, CB Deonte Banks (picked 24th) had a very good rookie season. Nonetheless, it's hard to look at the lack of production by the tight end position last year, the numerous Darren Waller injuries, and the horrific overall offense, and not long for a guy like LaPorta. He had 86 receptions and 10 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Lions. LaPorta was drafted 34th last year.

There's an asterisk here because the Giants had two picks in the top ten this year. They nailed it by taking Kayvon Thibodeaux at number five. However, although fans were excited about taking Evan Neal two picks later, this has not lived up to the hype yet. The offensive line continues to be a ten-year problem. Our MetLife neighbors in the Jets took WR Garrett Wilson at number 10. Without a top threat at receiver, you can't help but wish Wilson was in the blue locker room instead of green.

Oh boy, this is the worst of them all. Perhaps it was also the beginning of the end for Dave Gettleman, who terribly fumbled this draft. As a refresher, the Giants held pick #11. Everything had been falling into place nicely with WR DeVonta Smith still on the board and falling right into their hands. That is until the Eagles made a last minute trade, jumped the Giants and took Smith. Gettleman was caught unprepared and traded the 11th pick to the Bears who ended up taking Justin Fields. Right after that at 12, the player many compare to Lawrence Taylor was taken in Micah Parsons. The net of this is, the Giants could have stayed at the 11th pick and had Micah Parsons. Instead they ended up with Kadarius Toney, who was traded to the Chiefs (who benched him).

This is the most intriguing redraft selection, as it changes the franchise the most. Andrew Thomas was selected by the Giants with the fourth pick. Thomas is fantastic and the strong point of the often battered line. However, two picks later, Justin Herbert went to the Chargers. The GMen would not be in the predicament they are in now if they had a franchise talent like Herbert. However, this was not an option at the time because of what happened in the 2019 draft.

Daniel Jones was the choice with the sixth pick in 2019. Eli Manning was still on the team. If it wasn't for all the injuries, Jones would be a solid choice and the player the team continues to build around. They still may do that. However, if we're going to take Herbert in 2020 instead of Andrew Thomas, offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom would have been a nice choice here. This OG has been a two-time Pro Bowler for the Falcons. He's been reliable, durable, and quietly one of the most productive lineman in the league the past five seasons.