Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Shockey, 2002

Tight End, New York Giants

Age: 22

College: Miami (FL)

Height: 6’5”   Weight: 252

Prelude:

After performing well in junior college at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M, Shockey moved on to the Univ. of Miami where he starred on the 2001 national championship team, catching 40 passes for 519 yards and seven touchdowns, and received first-team All-Big East honors. The Giants chose him in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. Lively and demonstrative, as well as talented, Shockey drew attention almost immediately and was productive despite a foot injury.

2002 Season Summary

Appeared in 15 of 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 74      

Most receptions, game – 11 (for 111 yds.) vs. Washington 11/17

Yards – 894

Most yards, game – 116 (on 7 catches) at Indianapolis 12/22

Average gain – 12.1

TDs – 2

100-yard receiving games – 2

Scoring

TDs – 2

Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff at San Francisco)

Pass receptions – 7

Pass receiving yards – 68

Average yards per reception – 9.7

Pass Receiving TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:

NFL Rookie of the Year: League/Pepsi

1^st team All-NFL: AP

1^st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Giants went 10-6 to finish second in the NFC East and qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card entry. Lost NFC Wild Card playoff to San Francisco 49ers (39-38).  

Aftermath:

A knee injury limited Shockey to nine games in 2003, but he caught 48 passes and was named to the Pro Bowl. Injuries would continue to be an issue, and he was also held in to block more in ’04, but Shockey remained an outstanding pass receiving tight end. He had productive seasons in 2005 and ’06, catching 65 passes for 891 yards and 66 for 623, respectively, and was named to the Pro Bowl after each. A broken leg kept Shockey out of the playoffs during the 2007 NFL Championship season for the Giants and he was dealt to New Orleans, where he continued to battle injuries for the next three years. He was still productive when healthy, catching 139 passes in 38 games for 1460 yards, and had a TD reception in the Super Bowl win over the Colts following the 2009 season. Shockey was released following the 2010 season and played one last year with the Carolina Panthers in 2011, where he split time with Greg Olsen. Overall, Shockey caught 547 passes for 6143 yards (11.2 avg.) and 37 touchdowns, with 371 receptions, 4228 yards, and 27 TDs coming with the Giants. He was selected to the Pro bowl four times, all with New York. Highly competitive, outspoken, and prone to controversy, he was also a talented receiver when healthy, but injuries ultimately curtailed his career.

--

Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).