Heading into the 2024 NFL draft, the New York Giants have been nonetheless unsure about whether or not or not star tight finish Darren Waller would ever play for them once more.
Waller continues to be mulling his choices whereas going via a tumultuous time in his private life, together with a divorce from his spouse, WNBA star Kelsey Plum, after solely a 12 months.
After the second day of the draft, the Giants nonetheless had no readability on Waller’s standing.
“No, nothing’s modified there,” mentioned Giants basic supervisor Joe Schoen. “We’re nonetheless giving him house and when he’s able to decide, we’ll have these conversations.”
These conversations have been immediately rendered much less imminent on Saturday when the Giants chosen Penn State tight finish Theo Johnson — a really Waller-like-looking participant — with the 107th general decide in Spherical 4.
After the draft, Schoen was requested if the Johnson decide was in direct response to Waller’s scenario.
“We needed to take that under consideration for certain,” he mentioned. “However you already know, Theo was the highest participant on our board. I’m making an attempt to assume, if there have been any of those guys that we took that weren’t the highest participant on the board on the time…final night time we left, he was protruding for us. You at all times assume if you come within the subsequent morning, he’s going to go sooner and might not be there and we’re excited to get Theo.”
Johnson didn’t go to with the Giants through the pre-draft course of however mentioned it was “clear” that the Giants had an curiosity in him. The one affiliation he had with the Giants earlier than Saturday was an interplay with quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney on the Senior Bowl however admitted he had one other tie to the membership.
“Went to highschool and labored with Christian Daboll, Brian Daboll’s son, when he was at Penn State,” Johnson revealed. “So fairly early on, they confirmed a whole lot of curiosity and it was clear that this was positively a possible touchdown spot for me.”
The 6-foot-6, 257-pound Johnson mentioned he had not but talked to the Giants about what function he may play. He was additionally requested if he had watched a whole lot of Waller, who he has been in comparison with in a number of scouting experiences.
“I’ve positively watched Darren Waller,” Johnson mentioned. “I’ve a whole lot of respect for his recreation. You already know, he’s somebody that has actually established himself within the league, and I’m actually wanting ahead to being in the identical room as him and simply listening to his knowledge from what he’s been via, not solely in his profession and his life however I’m actually wanting ahead to being his teammate.”
That final half could not come to go. The Giants, after all, will desire a determination from Waller sooner or later this spring to allow them to kind out their roster and funds.
Johnson, by persevering with to develop, might help the Giants ease into what seems to be Waller’s nearly sure departure. He can solely look ahead, although. And he’s prepared to assist the Giants in any approach he can.
“I feel I’m positively able to being a decent finish which you can’t take off the sector with all of the attributes that I’ve and I’m going to work for that,” he mentioned. “I do know I’ve work to do and I’m going to do the work it’s going to take to be a George Kittle and be a man that you just simply don’t need to take off the sector as a result of I can do each single factor you’re asking your tight finish to do.”
