Is David Njoku overrated?
Seems like a simple question right? Is David Njoku overrated? While most of Browns twitter would say “no” or “that’s ridiculous”, a list appearing on Bleacher Report has the tight end making an appearance.
The NFL’s Most Overrated Player at Each Position Entering 2023 Season from Gary Davenport has Njoku listed as the most overrated tight end in the league. Davenport criticizes the front office for extending Njoku at nearly $14 million a season before breaking the bad news to Browns fans everywhere.
“Njoku didn’t have a bad season in 2023. In fact, he set a career high in receptions. But that career high was 58, which ranked 10th among tight ends. His 628 receiving yards slotted eighth at the position. His 80 targets ranked 11th. And his four scores tied for sixth-most among tight ends.
Again, none of those numbers are all that bad—until you consider Njoku is sixth in average annual salary among tight ends and that the year before he caught just 36 passes and failed to surpass 500 receiving yards.
Njoku isn’t a bad tight end. But he isn’t a great one, either—and the fact that his contract ranks among the highest at his position just makes no sense.”
It is that last paragraph that needs be hammered home…. a lot. The local perception of Njoku as a tight end versus the national is vastly different. Yes, David Njoku has improved a ton since being drafted, going from a raw athlete to an actual tight end. While the distance traveled in his development is large, it did start from very a low point. A point so low that his numbers leave a lot to be desired after six seasons.
The reality is at the current moment in time, Njoku is much closer to the middle of the pack when it comes to tight ends than the top. And that is perfectly fine. It is not about his athletic ability, his physical traits, or anything of that matter. It is about actually playing the tight end position, something that he is incredibly average at. Add that on top of his current contract and this conclusion is easy to reach.
