David Givens was a receiver at Notre Dame before the Patriots selected him in the seventh round (#253 overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He wasn't a particularly prolific pass-catcher, at least in the regular season, with career season highs of 59 catches and 874 yards. His best work came in the postseason (and, it would seem, in the weight room). He scored touchdowns in seven consecutive playoff games from 2003 to 2005, including in two Super Bowl wins.
Troy Brown will always be our favorite Swiss Army knife receiver from the first installment of the Pats dynasty. Deion Branch was productive, David Patten was the deep threat. And there were other guys here and there. But David Givens was the swagger. I have these ineradicable memories of him making huge catches in huge spots, short but incredibly strong, flexing those pipes and mocking the flapping-wings celebrations of the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
I recall being disappointed when Givens went to Tennessee in 2006, and then feeling bad for the guy when he wrecked his knee and his career was over. His record of touchdown catches in seven consecutive NFL playoff games still stands.