Evan Engram will admit it: He takes a peek.
Three games into his NFL career, the tight end has been one of the few bright spots in the Giants’ 0-3 start. Though his focus has been on helping his team get its first win, Engram also has some curiosity in how his fellow rookies are faring across the league.
“I keep a close eye on it,” Engram said Friday. “I don’t worry about it too much, but I do kind of keep a close eye on how the other rookie guys are doing, even other tight ends in the league. It’s definitely a small little eye keeping up with those guys.”
He won’t have to look far Sunday to keep tabs on a fellow rookie tight end — Tampa Bay’s O.J. Howard, whom Engram calls a “freaking freak athlete.”
The Buccaneers drafted Howard out of Alabama with the 19th overall pick, shortly before the Giants selected Engram out of Mississippi at No. 23. The two competed in the SEC, played alongside each other in the Senior Bowl and then worked out together in Phoenix ahead of April’s draft.
Though Engram said he always wishes Howard the best after getting to know him in the pre-draft process, their bond won’t stop the Giants rookie from competing vigorously in their friendly rivalry.
“I knew he was always the No. 1 tight end coming out and I was always No. 2, 3 or 4,” Engram said. “I ended up going second. I definitely have a small chip on my shoulder, but just being cool with O.J., knowing what kind of guy he is and how hard he works, it’s nothing ill or no tension. But it’s always good to compete with guys, you bring the best out of each other.”
Through three weeks at least, Engram has the upper hand. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder has recorded 13 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown while Howard has just two receptions for 29 yards in Tampa Bay’s two games.
Engram, who is built and used differently than the 6-foot-6, 251-pound Howard, attributed his early success to the work he put in during training camp, getting his timing down with Eli Manning and jumping into the playbook.
“I’m definitely getting more comfortable out there and things are, a little bit, starting to slow down and allowing me to get more to my game and know what I’m doing a lot more,” Engram said. “A lot of it on this level is timing the quarterback. It’s definitely another learning curve.”
Engram’s run blocking is always something he can work on, he said, but he wants to have a mentality of “being nasty and as physical as possible.”
Having a locker near veteran tight end Rhett Ellison has helped that process.
“He does so many good things that I try to put in my toolbox,” said Engram, who will have a large cheering section Sunday with plenty of his family living in Cocoa Beach on Florida’s eastern coast.
The introduction to the NFL hasn’t been quite as Engram dreamed it up to be — the winless start in particular has been a nightmare — but he was encouraged by the Giants’ 24-point fourth quarter against the Eagles and said he thinks it can carry over to Week 4.
“It’s not cool being 0-3, but it’s definitely been a blessing and fun to go out and compete with our guys,” Engram said. “The last game didn’t end up how we wanted, but we kind of came together and got things going. So I’m really excited to get out there Sunday.”