Isaiah Likely Ascends as Giants' Star, Outshining Ravens' Shadow

Isaiah Likely is emerging as a key player for the New York Giants, a stark contrast to his previous role behind Pro Bowler Mark Andrews on the Baltimore Ravens depth chart. His current production with the Giants, where he has secured 33 catches and ranks second among NFL tight ends, highlights his development and the opportunities he has found.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh noted Likely's impressive, albeit unconventional, blocking skills during his college evaluation. "When he was being evaluated — he went in the late fourth round — nobody really could get their arms around him," Harbaugh said. "He made all these plays in college, but it just looked different. In college, he also was crazy good as a perimeter blocker. He would launch guys through the air — like 5 yards through the air sometimes."

Likely spent four seasons with the Ravens, largely overshadowed by Andrews. The Ravens' decision to re-sign Andrews to a three-year, $39.3 million extension in December effectively paved the way for Likely's departure in free agency, where he signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Giants.

Reflecting on his time in Baltimore, Likely credited Andrews with teaching him how to adapt when defenses focused on him. "Knowing that when teams focaled [Andrews] in as the guy, how did he attack every day differently?" Likely said. "Because it’s easier when your team is scheming you up wide-open looks, but when the defense is actually honing you in and knowing that, ‘We have to stop that guy, how do you take the next step to be in that type of schematic?’ And that was something that Mark taught me, whether it was watching film or at practice. And now I feel like once I got it, I was good with it."

Likely's current performance suggests that the Giants' gamble on his potential was well-placed. He is already the first Giants veteran free agent addition with multiple games of two or more touchdown catches in a season since Plaxico Burress in 2005. His 33 catches through five games are nearing his single-season career high.

"[In] college, you’re put in situations usually in a system where if you’re the guy they … try to make you win [your route] as much as possible," Likely explained. "And when you get to the league, it’s more about disguising defenses and really just watching a lot of film."

His ability to read defenses has improved significantly, allowing him to "see the field like a quarterback" and identify open spaces. This, combined with a quarterback who shares his vision, has been a game-changer. "And when you have a quarterback that sees the same way as you or talks about it the same way as you, that’s when it’s just night and day."

Unlike schemes that might isolate two top pass-catchers, the Giants utilize Likely's presence to draw defensive attention away from receiver Malik Nabers. Likely has operated primarily from the slot, running a career-high 77.2 percent of his routes from that position, a strategy that has yielded significant yardage. "I told Leek since the day I got here, ‘My job is to make sure no team is able to double cover you,’ " Likely said. "And I feel like it’s insulting if I see a team that would rather double-cover Leek and leave everybody one-on-one than having everybody else get their one."

Giants tight ends coach Tim Kelly, a former NFL offensive coordinator, noted Likely's consistent traits, including his playmaking ability, blocking in space, and ball-catching skills. "That’s why he’s here. He was behind a great player, but it was intriguing to think, ‘What can he do with more opportunities? His ability to catch the ball away from the framework of his body and his body control, he’s got a lot of cool traits that show up consistently whether it’s a Wednesday or a Sunday," Kelly stated.

Kelly also emphasized that Likely is more than just a "receiving tight end," highlighting his attention to detail and instincts, even though his blocking style differs from more traditional, physically imposing tight ends on the roster.