There was much speculation the Giants would take a tight end on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. The second and third rounds came and went without a tight end for the Giants, but they addressed that need on Saturday when they selected Daniel Bellinger of San Diego State early in the fourth round.
This is a position of need for the Giants. They no longer have Evan Engram (signed with the Jaguars) and Kyle Rudolph and need to replenish this area. The signings in free agency — Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins — added players with NFL experience but not a great deal of pedigree.
Bellinger was a three-year starter in college and caught 31 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.
New head coach Brian Daboll on Friday said how much he uses tight ends this season depends on who he has available on the roster, which is how he operated as the Bills’ offensive coordinator the past four years.
“There were times last year we played with five receivers,’’ Daboll said. “There’s been times where we’ve played with three tight ends, sometimes four tight ends.
“I think when you put together an offense, you try to build it around the strengths of the players that you have. And if that’s a bunch of receivers, it’s a bunch of receivers. If it’s one tight end, it’s one tight end. There were games last year where we went to the game with one active tight end. I think probably the last five or six weeks of the season.’’