Giants Player Profile | David Sills V, Wide Receiver
2019 Season Rewind
David Sills V had two ultra-productive years at West Virginia University, where he accumulated 1966 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns.
He was named first-team All-Big 12 in 2018. He received All America honors from eight different media outlets, including The Sporting News, CBS Sports, and Sports Illustrated, who named him a first-team All-America for his 2017 season.
He was invited to the 2019 NFL combine, where he tested above many expectations. He ran a 4.57 40-yard dash and a 6.97 3-cone drill. He broad jumped 117 inches, and his vertical was 37.5 inches.
Despite stellar performance on the field and in testing, Sills still went undrafted and was quickly signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Bills. He underwhelmed in preseason action.
He didn't record a reception until the fourth preseason game. In that game, he caught two passes, and one was the game-winning touchdown. He was waived by the Bills on August 31, and signed to the Giants practice squad the next day.
Sills would spend most of the season on the practice squad in New York, but on December 17, the Giants placed tight end Evan Engram on injured reserve and called Sills up for the final two games of the 2019 season.
Although he did not record a reception, being called up was a sign that some of the issues that kept him from sticking in Buffalo had improved.
Looking Ahead
Unfortunately for Sills, the staff that brought him in and ultimately promoted him to the active roster is no longer in place. Although the Giants didn't draft a receiver in the 2020 draft, they did sign Derrick Dillon from LSU, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor from Ohio State, and Rysen John from Simon Fraser in Canada to go along with the other seven receivers already on the roster.
If Tate, Shepard, Slayton, and recent free-agent signee Cody Core are locks to make the final roster, that leaves eight receivers to battle it out for two positions.
The battle will be uphill for Sills, who will need to stand out in practice and be productive during preseason games. Even then, that may not be enough to keep him on the active roster. There are so many unknown variables surrounding the receiving group that any combination could emerge from it.
The truth for Sills is that he will need to show the propensity to get into the endzone he displayed in college. The easiest way to make the roster is to prove that you can be a weapon in the red zone.
At 6'4" and 210 pounds, Sills should fit that description. New offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has a good record with receivers like Sills. If he has indeed improved his ability to separate, he could find a niche in this offense.
That is if there is a preseason. All of these various forces converging at once could likely prove to be too much for Sills to overcome. He might be looking at another season on the Giants practice squad or possibly need to move on to another team.
