LISTEN: 1st-Rounder Evan Engram Says He'll Work Hard To Prove He Belongs In Giants' Talented Receiving Corps

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- A couple of summers ago, Evan Engram took a weekend trip to New York City and fell in love with the place.

"And I always said, man, I'd love to come up here and play ball at the next level for the Giants," he said.

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Engram's wish will come true. The Giants selected the Ole Miss tight end with the 23rd pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

"It's weird, it's crazy, and it's unbelievable that it's actually happening," Engram told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Friday.

Engram admitted he wasn't expecting to hear his name called as early as it was.

"I knew it was a possibility I'd go late, late first (round)," he said. "But I was a little surprised. I didn't really get to talk to the Giants that much about the process. I had no visits, no workouts."

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With the Giants, he'll catch passes from quarterback Eli Manning, someone he has gotten to know a little bit because they share the same alma mater. Manning sometimes returns to the Ole Miss campus to work out.

"There's been a couple of instances of me and Eli putting some work in," Engram said. "And he texted me right after I got off the phone with the coaches and everything (Thursday night) and just congratulated me and was saying how he was looking forward to me getting there. So definitely an Ole Miss legend and a New York legend as well, and I'm glad to be working with him."

Engram is not your typical tight end. Some analysts argue he is a tight end in name only -- that the 6-foot-3, 234-pounder who runs a 4.42 40-yard dash is basically a big wide receiver.

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When asked how he thinks of his role, Engram said: "I feel like in the passing game, I'm a true wide receiver. Just kind of the pride I take in just being real sound with my routes, trying to make the big plays and being really effective in the vertical game, especially across the middle. And as a tight end, I just have a dog mentality when I need to get physical in the run game."

With the Giants, Engram will join a suddenly deep receiving corps that also includes Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard.

"I'm definitely going to come in and do the work and put the work in and gain the respect of them and the coaching staff and learn as much as possible, and hopefully just be able to come in and make an impact," he said. "I'm just really blessed -- like those names, those are all great players, and they've been dominating this league, and just to be able to be mentioned with them is a blessing."

To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.