Giant Expectations for Tight End Evan Engram

Not only are analysts anticipating a big year from the fourth-year tight end, but an unlikely party is also very bullish on Engram's upcoming season.

When Giants tight end Evan Engram has been healthy, he's been a dangerous weapon int he Giants passing game who creates mismatches for opponents.

But as members of Giants Country known, lately having Engram healthy and available for a full slate of games has been just as much of a challenge as the one Engram is capable of creating for opponents.

But that hasn't stopped Madden NFL '21, which ranks players at each position based on a variety of different factors of which I don't even begin to profess to understand how they are calculated or weighed considering the variances involved. 

Get the latest Giants news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of Giants Country page. Or sign up to receive our free daily newsletter.

The popular game maker recently released its annual preseason player rankings for every player, with those players earning a top-10 ranking at their respective positions summarized by The Sporting News.

Engram, the uber-talented tight end who has played in 17 of his last 36 games, earned the video game maker's seventh-best overall score (88) among tight ends, putting him just slightly behind Zach Ertz of the Eagles and Austin Hooper of the Falcons.

And thoughts here...? pic.twitter.com/iK6X1e5T7T

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2020

Engram's rating is the second-highest among a position group, just after running back Saquon Barkley's fifth-best overall ranking in the running backs category. No other Giants player appears in the top-10.

At the end of the day, video game ratings mean nothing in terms of the real thing and are not necessarily an indicator of how a player will perform. But with that said, the expectations are indeed elevated for Engram this year as hopefully he'll be cleared from his late-season foot surgery to return without any limitations in a Jason Garrett-led offense believed to be planning to feature the tight end heavily.

Do you agree with the rating for Engram? Let us know in the comments section, below.