The New York Giants appear locked and loaded at the tight end position with four potential starters lining their roster.

Entering the offseason, the Giants already had Evan Engram, Kaden Smith and Levine Toilolo under contract. Many assumed Toilolo would be a cap casualty, but instead the team re-worked his deal and managed to keep him in the fold.

A short while later, the Giants poked around Hunter Henry but eventually ended up signing veteran Kyle Rudolph.

Will that preclude New York from taking a tight end in the 2021 NFL draft? We at Giants Wire have cautioned against that line of thinking and it appears as if Pro Football Focus shares a similar view.

In breaking down what they believe are “forward-thinking prospects fits” for all 32 NFL teams, PFF pegged Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth as the player for the Giants.

The Giants already have two starting-caliber tight ends on the roster in Evan Engram and the newly signed Kyle Rudolph on his two-year deal. Neither player is likely to factor into the Giants’ long-term plans at the position.

Rudolph will turn 32 years old next season, and Engram will be playing on the fifth-year option on his rookie contract in 2021. Injuries and inconsistent play have led to disappointing results for the former Ole Miss Rebel throughout that contract.

Freiermuth is a clear tier below Pitts in this tight end class, but he’s also a tier above any other tight end available as the 43rd-ranked player on PFF’s Big Board. The next-closest tight end prospect is Miami’s Brevin Jordan at 97th overall. Freiermuth has the size and ball skills to contribute early in a passing attack over the middle of the field, and he was a strong run-blocker for much of his collegiate career at Penn State.

His addition in the second round would allow the Giants to run plenty of varied personnel groupings with three capable tight ends in 2021 while giving them a young, cheaper option at the position moving forward.

Freiermuth would certainly be an interesting addition in Round 2, but we maintain that the Giants should take Florida tight end Kyle Pitts if he’s somehow available to them at No. 11.

Either way, fans shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the potential addition of a tight end for all of the reasons PFF mentioned above. The Giants don’t have a tight end under contract long-term and it would be better to solve that problem before it becomes one.