Which of these two prospects would be a better fit for the Giants?

The New York Giants' tight-end situation remains uncertain as Darren Waller contemplates retirement. GM Joe Schoen added two contingency plans to bolster their tight end room with Jack Stoll and veteran Chris Manhertz, two players who are more known for their blocking.

Stoll and Manhertz — the latter has eight seasons under his belt — have a combined 46 catches in their careers. Daniel Bellinger has only played two seasons but has 55 career catches, and he was the second tight end on the depth chart last season.

The Giants will find themselves in the tight end market if Waller does retire, and the former Raider isn’t a long-term asset for New York, anyway. Bellinger is the only tight end on the roster beyond the 2024 season. Of course, it’s plausible that New York could invest in other cheap veteran options next offseason. Still, tight end remains a position that needs an influx of talent, possibly for the immediate but certainly long term.

Here are two players worth consideration:

Theo Johnson, Penn State

Johnson was voted All-Big-10 honorable mention in 2023 and was on the Mackey Award watch list.

Johnson only had 77 catches through four seasons at Penn State. He had 938 yards, 12 touchdowns, and an average of 12.2 yards per catch. Last season, he secured 34 passes for 341 yards and seven touchdowns with a 1.26 yards per route run rate. He only had 100 career targets in college.

Johnson attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl and did not disappoint. His size and speed combination display the immense potential that he possesses. Still, his skills in the role with the Penn State offense weren’t as featured as they would have been in other situations. Johnson only had 100 targets through four seasons (1,740) total snaps.

Strengths

• Impressive combination of size and speed - almost broke the combine
• Quick release off the LOS - super quick feet
• Great juke move, agile, smooth player
• Very good change of direction
• Explosive athlete with separation skills/acceleration
• Deceptive stemmer - manipulator!
• Leans, stick & nod, explosive
• Understands leverage and how to manipulate it through routes vs. man & zone
• Hands vs. Press (Q4 2:03, 3rd & 7 v. Michigan; Indiana, Q3 8:44 2nd&8, TD up seam)
• Great awareness as route runner on vertical
• Soft hands - extends away from his frame, an effortless catcher
• Very good concentration when high-pointing the football
• Natural ball skills, gets up field quickly for YAC
• Does well to protect football into contact, falls forward
• TE screens & PA Slide weapon (Ways he was used by Penn State)
• Big bodied red zone threat
• Functional blocker who can play on all three downs
• Technically sound blocker (angles, hands/feet, square to target)
• Tight hands and active feet in the blocking phase - annoying
• Can dip low into contact on angled blocks, good angles of pursuit
• Flexible to get low and drive through opponents
• Good job blocking on the move
• Versatile - can play Y, H, and with potential to operate as fullback in certain offenses
• Elite competitive toughness
• Operated well punt and kick-return coverage
• Won the Iron Lion Award for strength and conditioning his senior season

Weaknesses

• Falls forward through contact but doesn’t have the play strength to break tackles consistently
• Functional blocker, but with modest play strength at the point of attack
• Wasn’t very productive in college
• Had five penalties last season - three were false starts
• Was charged with two misdemeanors (a simple assault and criminal mischief)

Johnson has an above-average blend of size and speed for an NFL tight end. He has a ton of potential with not a lot of college production to substantiate his talent. He can play in any system and is a functional Blocker that is technically sound, albeit not dominating. His play strength won’t be an issue, but it won’t be a true asset either as currently employed. He could do a better job exploding through his hips into contact to gain better pop/leverage at the point of attack; that should help his effectiveness as a blocker.

However, his ability to deceptively run routes and disguise his breaks will lead to more separation; that, coupled with his natural hands and ability to extend away from his frame, should provide wider throwing windows for quarterbacks at the next level. Johnson should be productive early in his career and can carve out a role on any offense.

Ben Sinnott, Kansas State

An unrecruited, talented, multi-sport athlete who earned his keep as a walk-on at Kansas State. Sinnott grew up playing baseball, hockey, tennis, and running track, but he is professionally pursuing football.

He caught 81 career passes for 1,131 yards on 123 targets, averaging 14 yards per catch and 10 touchdowns. In 2023, he caught 48 of 73 passes for 669 yards with six touchdowns, a 2.02 yards per route run rate.

Sinnott was an honorable mention All-American, First-Team All-Big 12 in 2022-2023, John Mackey Award semifinalist, and Academic All-American last season. He played in 38 games, starting 28 of them, and tied Kansas State’s total touchdown record for the tight end position. Sinnott performed well at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl event and looked smooth at the on-field drills of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Strengths

• Good overall athletic ability - fluid
• Solid vertical speed - great acceleration
• Fires off the LOS - explosive
• Good burst and leaping ability - lower body explosion
• Shifty in space, smooth change of direction skills
• Smooth operator and glider as a mover
• Quickly gets into his route when impeded as a Y
• Leverages lateral agility and burst to get into stem
• Does well in using his hands to separate when necessary
• Positionally aware up his stem
• (will create separation against tight press)
• Great route runner - no fear over the middle of the field
• Effective route runner at all three levels of the field
• Very smart - crafty ways to create separation (at top of break/movement on stem)
• Understands how to create throwing windows for his QB in zone
• Quickly gets out of his breaks
• Sells TE screen well, deceptive and dangerous in space off TE screen
• Natural pass catcher with soft hands
• Solid in contested catch situations
• Fluid adjustments to throws outside his catch radius
• Elite ability to elevate and collect passes in front of him
• Maximizes his limited catch radius
• Strong pass catcher in traffic
• Effortlessly catches passes in stride and maintains momentum
• Solid ability to create YAC - shows nimbleness
• Will lower his shoulder into contact - physical
• Low and sturdy into contact - will strike and readjust in pass protection
• Frames his blocks in pass protection well - (chip & release as well)
• Will do well in combo blocks and climb at the next level
• Functional down blocker with solid angles at the college level
• Blocks well in space - frames, targets, locks on, drives through in space
• Versatile - aligns everywhere
• Elite competitor

Weaknesses

• Less than ideal height and length
• Catch radius is limited
• Play strength inline at Y is only adequate
• May struggle to be a consistent DUO TE
• Much more effective as a run blocker in space than on the LOS - an H/F
• Not a pile-moving blocker

Ben Sinnott is an explosive and effective route runner at all three levels of the field. He’s a natural pass catcher who makes receiving look effortless in traffic or when adjusting to footballs thrown outside his limited catch radius (25th percentile wingspan). Sinnott best suits the move tight-end role with the upside to operate as a versatile FB.

He’s not a terrible blocker, but consistency on the LOS could limit his upside if he were to play a more traditional Y role. But that would be silly since his skill set would be best utilized in a versatile manner. In the right role/offense, Sinnott could be a true asset whose versatility gives defensive personnel packages problems. He’s a good, tough football player with an elite, competitive nature.

Final verdict

I appreciate the skill sets of both players. Johnson has a higher ceiling than Sinnott. His unique physical gifts, combined with his size, are tough to ignore, although he is 23 and Sinnott is only 21. Sinnott is a more fluid athlete than Johnson, who is more natural at the receiving portion of playing football.

Although Johnson is more versatile, Sinnott could wear more hats. Johnson hasn’t reached his ceiling as a blocker, which is much higher than the smaller-framed Sinnott. The Kansas State product has the temperament and footwork/angles to be a tough blocker, but his strength at the point of attack and lack of length work against him. Johnson, though, has much more upside with the in-line “Y” role.

I have a higher grade on Johnson, but the issues off the field must be vetted. Both chargers stemmed from one event at a fraternity house. The Giants would need to do their due diligence on Johnson. If that’s not an issue with the young man’s character, I’m going with the upside of Theo Johnson.