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Back in June, New York Giants legend Eli Manning was asked to compile his “dream” team made up of former teammates. And while many of Manning’s picks were obvious, there was one major surprise.
Rather than picking Jeremy Shockey, Martellus Bennett or Evan Engram as his tight end, Manning went with the highly underrated Kevin Boss.
Manning’s praised Boss for his football IQ, understanding of the offense and his assignments, and his clutch ability — something that was on display during his time with the Giants.
We bring that up because during a recent roster breakdown, Dan Duggan of The Athletic attempted to temper some of the early expectations for Giants rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger. And in doing so, named Boss as a potential ceiling for Bellinger.
TE Daniel Bellinger: There was a surprising amount of hype surrounding Bellinger during the spring. It was notable to see the rookie fourth-round pick getting so many first-team reps, but expectations should be measured. Developing into a Kevin Boss-level tight end is a reasonable goal for Bellinger.
Statistically, a Boss-level ceiling would not be what the Giants want out of Bellinger. However, in terms of overall skill, game knowledge, willingness to be coached and sliding in as a role player, Boss is exactly what they’d want out of Bellinger.
Perhaps the early Bellinger hype is a bit too much, but his play throughout the spring deserves recognition. The rookie not only showcased his impressive blocking skills, he also proved there are other dimensions to his game. And short of an injury during training camp, Bellinger is likely to play an important offensive role for the Giants in 2022.
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