Art Stapleton | NFL writer

Art Stapleton, Staff Writer, @art_stapleton

EAST RUTHERFORD - Kaden Smith knew the football was headed his way shortly after the Giants broke the huddle for the final play of Sunday's 41-35 overtime victory over the Redskins last Sunday.

Everything the Giants' rookie tight end needed to see at the line of scrimmage, he saw.

"I figured the ball was coming to me because [Landon] Collins, he lined up inside, so I had to find a way to get across his face and stay flat," Smith said. "I drifted a little too much, luckily he didn't undercut it, it was just a perfect throw by Daniel [Jones]. It was really cool, sealing the win, and the first thing I did when I caught it was look for flags. I was just waiting to be told, 'That's not a touchdown.'"

But it was.

Smith has 23 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns in the past six games for the Giants, one of three rookies to play every snap against the Redskins with Jones and safety Julian Love.

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"We earned that celebration, but in this game, I try not to get too high or too low," Smith told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network Northeast. "Move on to the next week and don't live on this forever."

The Associated Press

Smith has big plans for the future, and he's hopeful that his place atop the position on the depth chart as this season finishes up and the maturation he has shown in his game makes his presence here part of that.

He's going back to campus at Stanford in continuing his pursuit of a degree in political science, needing four quarters to complete the process. That requires two of those on campus, one on a local campus and then the final one online to obtain the necessary credits.

"I can do the winter quarter because we're not in the playoffs," Smith said. "But the idea is to make this the only winter quarter I can do going forward because we do our share of winning going forward."

The Giants have had Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison as starters, but they can save $5 million against the salary cap by cutting Ellison after the season. Ellison has missed the final six games with a concussion, while Engram has dealt with his share of injuries throughout his career. He underwent foot surgery last weekend.

"For me, learning the playbook wasn't too bad. Some of the little things, that's what I needed to pick up technique-wise," Smith said. "In college, I struggled carrying over my technique from practice to games. Practice was good, but in games, I felt the need to rush and do more. Here, I've worked on playing faster, with my technique, and that comes down to being more consistent."

The Associated Press

Art Stapleton is the Giants beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Giants analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and sign up for our NFC East newsletter.