Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The tight end crop suddenly doesn’t look so appealing this season with injuries and legal troubles hitting the position hard. However, there is one tight end that is flying under the radar in most fantasy mock drafts, New York Giants tight end Brandon Myers.
Myers had a breakout season last year with the Oakland Raiders, collecting 79 catches for 806 yards and four touchdowns as a dump-off option for Carson Palmer. A lot of owners have been scared off because there is no history with Myers and he is moving to an offense with Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle and a potentially dynamic running game. However, if history is to be a guide it will show that Eli Manning loves to use his tight ends.
Jake Ballard came out of nowhere to catch 38 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns in 2011 and his skill set isn’t too different from Myers’. Myers won’t be zipping down the field but he with so many other threats in the offense he will receive plenty of favorable match-ups.
Can Myers repeat his statistics form last season? There is no reason to think he can’t. In the Giants’ offense he won’t be used primarily as a dump-off option. He will be asked to go downfield more and should be more of a threat in the red zone.
Myers isn’t as sexy an option as Rob Gronkowski, who despite his injuries is still being taken early in drafts so far, or even Jason Witten. However, Myers could still be available in the later rounds and is not even ranked in the Top 100 of most draft boards, often coming in around 122. However, the production is real. If Martellus Bennett can thrive in the Giants’ offense imagine what Myers will do this season. So, let the other players waste an early round pick on Robot Gronkowski and sit back and fill areas of more importance on your roster and snag Myers later in the draft.
Chris is a Senior Writer as well as the Hiring and Recruiting Manager for Rant sports. Follow Chris on Twitter and “Like” his page on Facebook.
