Giants Among Least Successful Drafting Teams in First Three Rounds Over Last 10 Years

The Giants drafting over the last decade is a big reason why the team has hit hard times, and a new study reveals just how bad it's really been.

A view of the helmets of New York Giants helmets / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The New York Giants have fallen on hard times over the last decade-plus, and for a key reason why, look no further than how they have drafted.

That’s what former NFL scout Daniel Kelly did in a study for FTNFantasy, with his Day 1 findings here and his Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) here.

(Note: his study did not include evaluating trades in any of the rounds, nor did it include how any draft picks went on to perform with other teams outside of the one that initially drafted them).

According to Kelly's data, the Giants ranked 26th overall in the first round, which is not too great considering their average draft spot has been high in the top half of the round (12.5). 

The 13 first-round Giants draft picks have contributed 50.4% of the team’s games thus far, ranking 21st. They have averaged 45.1 games played during their respective stints with the team.

Only five of their 13 first-round picks remain with the team: defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II (2019), left tackle Andrew Thomas (2020), outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022), offensive lineman Evan Neal (2022), cornerback Deonte Banks (2023), and receiver Malik Nabers (2024).

The biggest misses among the Gints’ first-round picks over the last decade include offensive tackle Ereck Flowers (2015), cornerback Eli Apple (2016), quarterback Daniel Jones (2019), cornerback DeAndre Baker (2019) and receiver Kadarius Toney (2021). 

Three of those five first-round flops were top-10 picks (Flowers, Apple, and Jones).

“The Q rating of the Giants’ various first-rounders over the last decade is pretty high, but their fame-to-production ratio is lower than you’ll find just about anywhere,” Kelly concluded.

On Day 2, the Giants ranked slightly better but only by two spots (24th). They have 21 picks made between Rounds 2 and 3, who appeared in 1,148 games for them. But there have been just four Pro Bowl berths, three of them by second-round pick safety Landon Collins (R2, 2015).

The Giants’ other solid second-round picks who have performed well over the last ten years include receiver Sterling Shepard, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, and safety Xavier McKinney.

The third round has been even less fruitful for the Giants over the last decade, the lone exceptions being linebacker Lorenzon Carter (2018), defensive lineman B.J. Hill (2018), and cornerback Dru Phillips (2024).

If the Giants believe that the draft is their lifeline, they need to do much better than they have in the first three rounds.

That also includes retaining guys to second and third contracts, which they haven’t done very well with over the last decade, either. 

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