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
1st
team All-NFL: AP
1st
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).
