The 9 Greatest New York Giants Tight Ends Of All-Time

Could Evan Engram end up on this list of the greatest New York Giants tight ends of all-time?

The early buzz around New York Giants first round pick Evan Engram is he could be one of the franchise’s greatest. So, let’s take a quick look at what the Ole Miss weapon would have to accomplish to land on the list of greatest Giants tight ends of all-time.

If you were to tell me the Giants were going to select a tight end in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, I would’ve guessed a trade up to get Alabama’s O.J. Howard or Miami’s David Njoku. If not the first round, maybe they’d scoop up a TE in a later round: South Alabama’s Gerald Everett or Virginia Tech’s Bucky Hodges or Michigan’s Jake Butt.

Evan Engram didn’t even cross my mind, even though he was the third highest graded prospect at his position.

But, after watching Engram’s various highlight packages…

…it appears the Giants have a legit playmaker. By now, Giants fans must be sick of hearing the comparisons to Washington tight end Jordan Reed. Yet, given how many times Reed has burned the G-Men, having a Reed of our own should make Big Blue’s red zone blues blow away.

Looking at the list of greatest Giants tight ends, Engram doesn’t have too steep a mountain to climb. It’s not too tall an order. The opportunity to ascend the rankings is there. I can only hope me jinxing the shiz out of him won’t impact his productivity.

Here’s who Engram has in front of him…

9. Gary Shirk

Thought Morehead State only produced one great Giant? Turns out there’s one more other than Phil Simms. Gary Shirk played seven seasons for the G-Men, starting 62 of 101 games.

Shirk’s first season with the Giants didn’t come until he was 26 years old. He played two seasons for the Memphis Southmen before signing with the G-Men.

Gary’s best season came in 1981 when he caught 42 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns. He only played in one playoff game, failing to register any stats.

The 1982 strike-shortened season would be Shirk’s last as a Giant. He was released during the 1983 preseason due to the emergence of rookie Zeke Mowatt.

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8. Kevin Boss

How promising was Kevin Boss’s performances in the 2007-08 postseason? Enough to send incumbent starter Jeremy Shockey to the Saints in a late July trade before the 2008 season.

Sure, it wasn’t the quantity of catches for Boss, but the quality of plays. His 45 yard catch and run in the Super Bowl against the Patriots set the Giants up within scoring range in New England territory. That drive led to a David Tyree touchdown that put the Giants ahead early in the fourth quarter.

With Shockey gone, Boss assumed the starting role for the next three seasons before signing a big, fat free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders. From 2008 – 2010, Boss averaged 2.43 receptions per game and nearly 33 yards per contest.

Where the Western Oregon product excelled most was in the red zone. Boss caught 16 touchdown passes in 43 starts over three seasons. Kevin’s best regular season game came in the pre-Thanksgiving matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in a 34-31 win. Boss corralled five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

In his final year with the G-Men, Boss’s catch percentage dropped to 50, the lowest of his tenure with Big Blue, despite seeing a career-high in targets. However, he did enjoy his highest yards per reception that season.

Boss’s place on this list might be a hot topic of debate. Was his production a result of talent or of Eli Manning’s prowess? Considering the Giants haven’t gotten similar production from the likes of Larry Donnell and Will Tye, it’s tough to say. Boss’s drop-off with the Raiders and Chiefs indicates it was more Eli than Kevin.

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7. Joe Walton

The future New York Jets coach and Giants offensive coordinator began his playing career with the Washington R-words in 1957 at the age of 22. While his rookie season was quiet, Walton had a breakout year the next as he caught 32 passes for 532 yards and five receiving touchdowns in 12 games.

Walton would sign with the Giants in 1961 at the age of 26. He’d put up career-high numbers that first campaign, catching 36 passes for 544 yards.

The G-Men had the NFL’s fourth best passing attack in Walton’s first year on the team, thanks to Pro Bowler Y.A. Tittle. The team finished 10-3-1 that year, winning the NFL East, but losing the NFL Championship to the Green Bay Packers 37-0.

Walton’s best regular season outing came against his former team, the R-words in the seventh game of 1962. Joe caught six passes for 63 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-34 win. You might recall this was the game that Y.A. Tittle tossed seven touchdown passes, a record that’s been tied seven times, but never broken.

His top postseason performance came during the 1962 NFL Championship when the Giants fell to the Packers in a 16-7 loss. Walton had five receptions for 75 yards.

Over the next two seasons with Big Blue, Walton’s final years as a pro, Joe’s total output would subtly decline year-over-year. Of the tight ends on this list, Walton averaged the most touchdowns per season.

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6. Zeke Mowatt

Zeeeeeeeeeke! The Florida State Seminole saw 30 of his 58 starts come in his first two NFL seasons. His best effort came in his second year, 1984, when he snagged 48 receptions for 698 yards and six touchdowns, all career bests.

Mowatt’s best regular season game was a 28-27 win over the Kansas City Chiefs the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 1984. Zeke snagged seven tosses for 126 yards and the game-winning touchdown catch. The G-Men were down 27-14 in the fourth before staging the comeback.

After missing the 1985 season, Mowatt would become a backup over the next three seasons to Mark Bavaro. When Bavaro missed half of the 1989 season, Mowatt stepped in, but averaged less than two receptions per game.

Zeke missed out on adding a second Super Bowl ring when he signed with the New England Patriots in 1990. He’d return to the Giants in 1991, his last season as a pro.

In six playoff games, Mowatt had 17 catches for 209 and two touchdowns, both of which came in the dominant 1987 Super Bowl run. The bulk of his postseason productivity came in the ’85 playoffs when he caught 12 balls for 122 yards in two contests.

Was there anything better than hearing Pat Summerall call Zeke’s name?

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5. Howard Cross

The Alabama Crimson Tide Hall of Famer was Big Blue’s starting tight end from 1991 – 1999. Selected in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft, Cross played 13 seasons for the Giants and was one of the best blocking tight ends in the game during that span.

Not normally relied upon as a receiving target, Howard’s best games as a pass-catcher came in the second week of the 1992 season against the Dallas Cowboys. In that meeting, Cross caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

He played in two Super Bowls, winning one against the Bills in January 1991 and losing one to the Ravens in January 2001. Cross had his best postseason performance in Super Bowl XXV when he caught four passes for 39 yards in the 20-19 win.

His blocking paved the way for the likes of O.J. Anderson, Dave Meggett, Rodney Hampton, Charles Way, Gary Brown, Tiki Barber, and Ron Dayne.

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4. Aaron Thomas

The San Francisco 49ers drafted Thomas in the fourth round of the 1961 NFL Draft and played two games for the Niners in his second year before going to the Giants.

Thomas would spend eight more seasons with Big Blue, amassing 4,253 receiving yards (2nd most among Giants tight ends) and 35 touchdowns (most among Giants tight ends) on 247 receptions (4th among Giants tight ends).

Aaron was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1964 when he led the team in catches (43),  yards (624) and receiving touchdowns (6). Yet, that wasn’t his most productive campaign.

The following season in 1965, Thomas led the NFL in yards per reception, out-gaining his Pro Bowl season in yardage on 16 less receptions. He was second on the team in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns behind Homer Jones.

Thomas would outdo his yardage again in 1966, but fell to third on the team in receiving stats behind Homer Jones and Joe Morrison. Then, Aaron had a monster year in 1967. That season saw Thomas register career highs in receptions (team high 51), yards (877, 2nd on team), and touchdowns (9, 2nd on team), making it his most valuable in a Giants uni.

Determining Aaron’s best regular season game is up for debate, but here’s his top three:

• The 35-27 win vs. the Eagles in 1965 – 4 catches, 145 yards, 1 TD
• The 42-17 loss vs the Cards in 1969 – 9 catches, 127 yards, 1 TD
• The 30-21 loss vs the Vikings in 1964 – 7 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD

Thomas had five 2-TD games with the G-Men, twice against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here’s Thomas hauling in a touchdown pass from YA Tittle against the Eagles.

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3. Bob Tucker

Bob Tucker joined the Giants at the age of 25. Prior to that, he spent a few seasons with the Lowell Giants and Pottstown Firebirds of the Atlantic Coast Football League, a minor league farm system for the NFL and AFL.

Tucker leads all Giants tight ends in receiving yards, is second in receptions, and fourth in receiving touchdowns.

The Bloomsburg alum had 40 or more receptions per year for six of the first seven seasons with the G-Men. In his first year with Big Blue, he led the team in receiving touchdowns and was second in receiving yards.

From a numbers standpoint, Tucker’s best season was in 1971 when he led all Giants receivers with 59 receptions for 791 yards and four touchdowns in only 12 games.

Tucker’s most valuable season was in 1972 when he collected 55 pass attempts for 764 yards (both team-highs) and four touchdowns. He’d lead the Giants in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in 1973.

In 1974, no other Giants receiver gained more yards through the air than Tucker. After a subpar ’75 campaign, Tucker again led the roster in receptions and receiving yards.

Tucker never made it to the playoffs with the Giants, but appeared in four postseason meetings with Minnesota.

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2. Mark Bavaro

The Giants selected Notre Dame tight end Mark Bavaro in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL Draft. After a decent rookie season in ’85, Bavaro would get selected to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 1986 and 1987.

In ’86, Bavaro led all Giants receivers with 66 receptions and 1,001 yards. His four receiving touchdowns were only second to Bobby Johnson. Bavaro would lead the team in all three categories in the strike-shortened 1987 campaign.

Bavaro’s best regular season effort was a 35-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in October 1985. Mark caught 12 balls for 176 yards on a day when Phil Simms threw for a franchise record 513 yards on 62 passes (a record only surpassed by Eli Manning in December 2016).

When it comes to Bavaro’s best playoff game, you could make a strong case for the 17-3 win over the 49ers in their 1985 NFC Wild Card contest. Mark notched five receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Or you could argue for Bavaro’s performance in the Super XXI win over the Broncos, when he had four grabs for 51 yards and a score. He also had another touchdown bounce off his hands that Phil McConkey saved for a touchdown.

We’ll just go ahead and forget the fact he went to Philly for a season.

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1. Jeremy Shockey

The four-time Pro Bowler only played six seasons for the Giants, but his 371 receptions is tops among the franchise’s tight ends. Shockey’s third among Giants tight ends in receiving yards behind Tucker and Thomas, and third in receiving touchdowns behind Bavaro and Thomas. In franchise history, number 80’s receptions per game and yards per game are number 1 at the position.

J-Shock’s most productive regular season outing came in November of his last season with the G-Men. On that day, he caught 12 balls for 129 yards and a touchdown in a 31-20 loss the Dallas Cowboys. The former Miami Hurricane had six double-digit catch games and eight 100-yard games over the handful of regular seasons with Big Blue.

Jeremy’s most productive season with the Giants was his rookie year in 2002 when he made the Pro Bowl and was voted First Team All-Pro. The Oklahoman Monster caught 74 passes for 894 yards (2nd among Giants receivers).

Shockey’s 61 receptions and six receiving touchdowns led all Giants targets in 2004. He finished in a three-way tie for most receiving touchdowns in 2005 with newcomer Plaxico Burress and veteran Amani Toomer while putting up the second highest yardage in his career. Shock also led the team in receptions the following season in 2006.

His best postseason performance was also the most bittersweet: The excruciating 39-38 loss to the 49ers in the 2003 NFC Wild Card. In that matchup, Shockey had seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, but it was the dropped touchdown that haunts Giants fans most.

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It’s hard to see how Evan Engram gets a ton of touches in his first couple years with Brandon Marshall, Odell Beckham, and Sterling Shepard craving targets. But, if Engram can give the Giants more than six seasons, he should become their greatest tight end in franchise history. No pressure or anything, right?