West Florida's John Jiles. John Blackie/jblackie@pnj.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Giants sign WR with 'ridiculous catch radius'

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated 4/29/24

The New York Giants added young depth to the wide receiving corps, signing former West Florida standout John Jiles as an undrafted free agent, per Ben Grieco of the Pensacola News Journal.

Jiles, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, caught 54 passes for 1,081 yards and 13 touchdowns during the 2023 campaign, averaging a whopping 20 yards per catch and 108.1 receiving yards per game.

Spending just one season at Western Florida, Jiles departs as one of the Argos’ most prolific receivers ever, setting the program record for single-game receiving yards, with a 277-yard and three touchdown outburst against North Greenville.

In New York, Jiles will look to climb up a receiver depth chart that now includes No. 6 overall pick, Malik Nabers, 2023 draft choice Jalin Hyatt, and veteran Darius Slayton as the Giants continue to aim to get younger and more explosive in the vertical passing game.

John Jiles scouting report

The Giants likely see something they can build upon when it comes to Jiles’ frame and explosiveness after the catch.

“Jiles has arms like vines and showed off his ridiculous catch radius on more than one occasion during his college career,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein writes of Jiles. “Despite playing against smaller foes, he has a lighter win rate on contested catches than he should, as he fails to bully and wall off opponents at the catch point.”