After Calvin Johnson retired, the Detroit Lions had a difficult time looking for that number one receiver. Then again, it’s difficult to replace a Hall of Fame-caliber receiver. In the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, they selected a wide receiver named Kenny Golladay from Northern Illinois. He also played some college football at the University of North Dakota. The Lions built their offense around him and he became that go-to weapon for Matthew Stafford. 2019 was the best season of his career. He led the league in touchdowns amongst receivers with 11. 2020 would end up being his final season in Detroit. Yesterday, the Giants announced they’re signing the free-agent receiver to a four-year deal worth $72 million.
He’s one of the more underrated receivers playing the position. This is the type of receiver every team would love to have. Kenny is 6’4 and weighs 214 pounds. He’s that one receiver that you can lob the football up to and he’ll go up and get the ball in mid-air. Kenny is the one receiver that can hurt a defense running the outside route or over the middle running the seams. He’s also a red zone threat. I like how he can play small. What I mean is he can run those shallow routes over the middle and pick up yards in space. He just doesn’t depend on being that deep threat down the field. You can try to be physical with him, but he can handle it. If you don’t circle in on him, he’s making his plays.
For the last few years, Daniel Jones has been called out for his struggles. However, what has he had around him? Outside of Saquon Barkley, he hasn’t had that other weapon to depend on. This signing gives the quarterback a true number one option and a consistent pass catcher, something the Giants haven’t had since the days of Odell Beckham Jr.