{"id":22188,"date":"2017-06-15T23:41:38","date_gmt":"2017-06-16T03:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=22188"},"modified":"2021-05-23T19:33:40","modified_gmt":"2021-05-23T23:33:40","slug":"new-york-giants-nfls-best-receiving-corp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/06\/15\/new-york-giants-nfls-best-receiving-corp\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Giants: NFL’s Best Receiving Corps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in February when the New York Giants released veteran wide out Victor Cruz<\/a><\/strong>, it was an expected move, but it left many wondering about who was going to be brought in as his replacement. With the addition of former-New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall<\/a><\/strong>, the team finally found a true outside receiver to line up opposite of Odell Beckham<\/a><\/strong>. With young players on roster like Sterling Shepard<\/a> <\/strong>and Evan Engram<\/strong>, there\u2019s an extraordinary amount of potential for them to develop into elite players.<\/p>\n

Granted, last year experts and critics said the same thing about the Beckham\/Cruz\/Shepard trio, but after only being one year removed from a Pro Bowl season, Marshall is a clear upgrade over Cruz. Not to mention Engram\u2019s speed and receiving abilities gives him a significant edge in the passing game against the other tight ends on roster last season. Other teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers all have excellent receiving corps as well, but let\u2019s take a closer look at why the Giants have the best receiving corp in the NFL heading into the 2017 season.<\/p>\n

New York Giants: NFL\u2019s Best Receiving Corps<\/h2>\n

Future G.O.A.T. Meets Future H.O.F.<\/h3>\n

With three seasons of NFL experience under his belt, Odell Beckham Jr. has quite the resume. He\u2019s not only the fastest player to haul in 250 receptions (38 games) and 4,000 receiving yards (42 games), but he\u2019s the only wide receiver to record 90+ rec, 1000+ yards, and 10+ TDs in first three seasons. There\u2019s no argument Odell sits among the top wide outs in the league and it wouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise if he unanimously took the throne in the upcoming years. With opposing defenses occupied with the rest of the offensive weapons, there\u2019s still even more room for him to succeed.<\/p>\n

As Odell continues to scorch the record books, the help around him keeps getting better. At 6\u20194, 230 pounds, Brandon Marshall\u2019s size and physical play style compliments the skill set of Beckham and will be one of the most exciting duos to watch this year. In addition to his starting job he\u2019ll be filling the side-role Ben McAdoo<\/strong> tried to have Victor Cruz fill, and that\u2019s being a deep ball threat.<\/p>\n

After his injury, Cruz lost some of his explosiveness and although Marshall is older he still has the physical advantage to fill the need and the components to succeed in taking coverage away from Odell Beckham. Marshall has been torching defenses for years with his phenomenal footwork and 4.52 speed, so while Odell will likely draw coverage from the first-string cornerback, that leaves the second-string to cover Marshall. Considering that he\u2019d be most teams first-string receiver and he\u2019s second on the Giants is just a testament to how lethal this corp is.<\/p>\n

Young Players Stepping Up<\/h3>\n

If having two first string receivers wasn\u2019t enough, throw in Sterling Shepard, the 2016 second-round pick who performed as one of the league\u2019s best rookie receivers alongside Michael Thomas<\/a><\/strong>. He was brought into the organization as part of a plan to replace Victor Cruz in the slot and that\u2019s exactly what he did. Heading into his second season opposing teams will know what to expect, but that\u2019s easier said than done. He\u2019s an explosive player with outstanding hands who can turn a short pass into a long gain on any given play. After an impressive rookie year, he finished with 65 receptions, 683 yards, and eight touchdowns. It\u2019s hard to say many defenses in the NFL right now have a strong enough secondary to defend this trio of starters.<\/p>\n

While listed as \u201ctight end,\u201d Evan Engram might as well be a wide receiver. If his tape wasn\u2019t enough evidence, his draft is undeniable. His 6\u20193, 235-pound frame combined with 4.42 40-yard dash speed and a 36\u201d vertical is more than what the vast majority of defenders can handle. Not only because of his extraordinary speed, but his size, arms, and catch radius are much longer than that of any defender he\u2019ll go up against, especially considering he\u2019ll be likely to draw a lot of coverage from linebackers. Whether he\u2019s making a play for the ball or not, his presence alone will open the field up allowing himself and the wide out trio to capitalize.<\/p>\n

Behind the Scenes<\/h3>\n

Both Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard played over 1,000 snaps last season, which means each of them played in 94% of offensive plays. With more talent at the wide out position that ever before, this pattern should at least decrease a little to rotate players accordingly. In those moments that the starters do come out, the reserves are in good shape to take over. Leading the pack is 2017 Pro Bowl Returner Dwayne Harris<\/a><\/strong> who has proven his worth as a receiver, and alongside him are sleeper candidate Tavarres King<\/a><\/strong> and Florida State sensation Travis Rudolph<\/strong>. There was promise in Roger Lewis<\/a><\/strong>. to take the number four receiver spot on the roster heading into the season, but he was recently arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired on June fourth\u00a0and his league consequences are still pending.<\/p>\n

When the Giants incorporate this three wide out and one tight end package, it\u2019s going to be a real challenge for defenses to keep up. Considering this year\u2019s upcoming schedule, most receiver\/corner matchups look to be in favor of the Giants by significant margins. An important key in the success of this unit is the man behind the passes, Eli Manning<\/a><\/strong>. While under contract for the next three seasons, he\u2019s excellent condition to improve his already Hall of Fame career with the talent he\u2019s surrounded by. Fixing the weakest part of the team last season was dealt with by making minor tweaks in the offensive line and improvements have already been reported at recent OTAs.<\/p>\n

The way the team stands right now, they are fully capable of transforming their offensive flop in 2016 into one of the league\u2019s best units in 2017. Each individual receiver in the corp is especially great at scoring points in the red zone so to have four on the field at once almost seems like an overkill. The fate of the offense ultimately depends upon what Ben McAdoo changes going into his sophomore year as head coach. Some of his biggest weaknesses last year were his inability to expand the playbook and his constant use of the same formations, these allowed for a predictable offensive play call. He\u2019s addressed this issue in interviews and has confirmed they are working at fixing it for the new season. McAdoo hasn\u2019t disappointed yet and that\u2019s why the New York Giants are going to have the NFL\u2019s best receiving corp in 2017.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n