This random cast of misfits has created some serious noise in the NFL playoffs, Isaiah Hodgins has been the soft spoken leader
Minneapolis, MN– The Giants pulled off an improbable upset against Minnesota, winning 31-24. Yet, on paper, this seemed nearly impossible. While yes, the Giants have rising talent Daniel Jones under center and distinguished running back Saquon Barkley taking handoffs, they don’t have much else. Take a look at the other side of the paper and you’ll see a Vikings team adorned with superstars up and down the roster: All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, running back Dalvin Cook, a Kirk Cousins who went 13-4 in 2022, and a star studded defense with the likes of Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Smith, and Patrick Peterson.
Where the disparity is the greatest is the wide receiver department, where the Vikings have a three-headed monster with NFL starboy Justin Jefferson, slot specialist Adam Theilen, and WR3 KJ Osborn. Pair that with newly acquired tight end TJ Hockenson from the Lions and you’ve got the 6th ranked passing attack in the NFL this season.
On the other side, you see a band of outcasts, with no household names on the list. The Giants’ depth chart at WR for Sunday’s game against Minnesota went something like this: Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and Richie James. The trio has 1,830, 392, and 1,258 career receiving yards respectively. Not exactly much firepower in the receiving department.
Yet, that group stole the show, the band of brothers who weren’t drafted earlier than the 5th round. Former Buffalo Bill Isaiah Hodgins took off on the Vikings, with 8 catches for 105 yards against a Vikings defense that frankly hasn’t been very strong against the pass but still had superstars in the backfield. Guarded by Chandon Sullivan for most of the day, Hodgins caught a touchdown pass against Patrick Peterson to put the Giants up 14-7.
Despite no name envy at wide receiver, Daniel Jones still put up 301 yards with two touchdowns, one to the aforementioned Hodgins and another one to rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger.
Hodgins isn’t exactly a hyped-up rookie out of a big name school. A 6th-round pick by the Buffalo Bills from Oregon State in 2020, he barely played his rookie year due to an accumulation of injuries that kept him sidelined for the majority of the year.
In 2021, he spent most of his time on the Bills’ practice squad until Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he made his first 4 NFL catches. In 2022, he was cut and subsequently signed off waivers by the Giants where he made an immediate impact against close division foe in the Washington Commanders in a 20-20 tie. In his Week 16 game versus the Vikings for the first time, he put up 89 yards and a touchdown, foreshadowing his impressive performance in the Wild Card game.
During his time in college, Hodgins managed to have an impressive senior year for the Beavers with 1171 on 86 grabs. That performance garnered enough attention from NFL scouts to give him a shot in the league.
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Despite his stock skyrocketing, Hodgins recalls that his father is never satisfied and pushing him to bet the best receiver he could be, “He is one of my harshest critics,” Isaiah said. “He is always trying to rewind the TV and trying to find a route I could have done better on or a block I could have done better. It keeps me motivated and it keeps me humble. I like that. He wasn’t happy (after the Washington game), but he wasn’t mad either. He told me there was stuff to improve on going into the next week.”
In fact, Hodgins never expected himself to be here. When he was first signed off waivers to make the six hour trip to East Rutherford from Orchard Park, he never imagined he’d have to be ready to go right away, “I was a little bit surprised,” Hodgins said. “Sometimes they try to catch you up to speed for a week or two, but he was like, ‘You’re playing this next week.’ It was kind of like, ‘We’re throwing you into the fire.’ I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Hodgins’ success comes at a time of turmoil and turnover for the Giants organization– head coach Brian Daboll, who’s in his first year has been in the middle of a dumpster fire at receiver. 2021 free agent sign Kenny Golladay who the Giants paid $71,000,000 against the cap has been anything but productive, was demoted to a 3rd string receiver who’s been getting paid like an NFL All-Pro.
Kadarius Toney, who the Giants had high hopes for twisted the organization’s arm into trading him to Kansas City after an alleged fake injury debacle while complaining that the team wasn’t using him enough.
Good wide receiver play couldn’t have come at a better time for the Giants, and now, as New York looks to make a run deep into the playoffs, Hodgins and Co. become ever so more critical to the Giants’ passing game.
