The History Behind the Giants 2020 Draft Picks' Jersey Numbers

What's in a jersey number? If you're talking about the New York Giants, there is a lot of rich history, so let's take a look at the numbers assigned to the members of the team's 10-man 2020 draft class as well as some of the history behind each number.

The Giants announced the jersey numbers for their 2020 rookie draft class.

What's in a jersey number? For a franchise as rich in history as the Giants a lot.

The following is a breakdown of what each rookie got and the history behind the numbers. 

Keep in mind that these jersey numbers aren’t final, as often players will change their numbers at the end of training camp when an original choice that wasn’t previously available opens up.

OT Andrew Thomas, No. 78

Thomas was No. 71 at the University of Georgia, but third-year guard Will Hernandez currently wears that number.

The most recent Giant to wear No. 78 was last year’s seventh-round pick, George Assafo-Adjei, waived earlier this year after having not played a down (this due to a concussion he suffered last year in training camp.

Some other notable players who wore No. 78 for the Giants include defensive lineman Markus Kuhn (2012-15) and edge Romeo Okwara (2016-18).

Perhaps one of the greatest Giants to wear No. 78 was defensive lineman Al DeRogatis (1950-53), who went on to become a well-known football analyst after his days as an All-Pro defensive tackle for the Giants.

S Xavier McKinney, No. 29

McKinney wore No. 15 at the University of Alabama, a number that in the NFL is reserved for quarterbacks, receivers, and kicking specialists.

His Giants jersey number (29) was most recently worn by Deone Bucannon, who was with the team last season.

Some other notable Giants who wore the number include defensive backs Myron Guyton (1989-93), a member of the 1990 Super Bowl championship team, and Nat Berhe (2016-17).

Among the more well-known Giants to have worn No. 29 in team history include halfback/fullback Alex Webster (1955-64) and running back Chuck Mercein (1965-67) and cornerback Sam Madison (2007-08) of the Super Bowl XLII team.

OT Matthew Peart, No. 74

Peart wore No. 65 for UConn, a number that, ironically, another famous Huskie who went on to become a Day 2 draft pick, offensive tackle Will Beatty (2009-16) would wear as a member of the Giants. (Beatty wore No. 64 at UConn, per Sports Reference College Football).

Peart’s No. 74 was more recently worn by Mike Remmers last season, and, before that, Ereck Flowers (2016-18).

Some others who have worn No. 74 in the team’s history include Lou Cordileone (1960), traded to the San Francisco 49ers for Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle in 1961; defensive lineman Erik Howard (1986-94) of Super Bowl XXI  and XXV fame; offensive lineman Rich Baldinger (brother of Brian Baldinger of “Baldy’s Breakdowns” fame); and Scott Gragg (1995-99), a hulking 6'8", 325-pounder who famously used to do somersaults in the end zone after the Giants scored (something he dubbed "the thunder roll.")

CB Darnay Holmes, No. 30

Holmes won’t be able to wear No. 1, his college jersey at UCLA, but the very driven young man will still look to prove that he's worthy of No. 1 status as he proudly dons No. 30 this summer.

His initial jersey assignment, most recently worn by cornerback Antonio Hamilton, who signed with the Chiefs this off-season as a free agent, has a rich history.

Among some of the names you might recognize as having worn the jersey number include running back Ron Johnson (1970-75), the first Giants running back to record 1,000 yards rushing in team history; scatback/return specialist David Meggett (1989-94); and fullback Charles Way (1995-99).

OL Shane Lemieux, No. 66

Lemieux didn't have to stray too far from No. 68, the number he wore at Oregon. As best as I could tell, the number wasn’t taken as of the end of last year, so there could be more to this story.

One possibility could be that Lemieux relates to another famous Giant who wore No. 66, that being offensive lineman David Diehl, who at one point in his Giants career played every position on the offensive line except center.

Long before Diehl, a two-time Super Bowl champion sported the number, another Super Bowl champion (XXI and XXV) by the name of William Roberts (1984-94) wore it. And before Roberts bore the number, guard/tackle Jack Stroud, who like Diehl played his entire NFL career with the Giants, wore the jersey from 1953-64.

LB Cameron Brown, No. 47

Brown wore No. 6 for the Penn State Nittany Lions, but that number is part of a range available only to quarterbacks and kicking specialists.

His new number was last worn by inside linebacker and defensive co-captain Alec Ogletree, who had switched from No. 52 last year. Ogletree was cut in the off-season as part of a salary cap move.

Before Ogletree, tight end Garrett Dickerson wore the number during the 2018 season. Otherwise, the number, for the most part, doesn’t appear to have a rich history of wearers behind it.

Some recent names Giants fans might recognize include defensive back Greg Jackson (1989-93), a member of Super Bowl XXV; running back Ryan Grant (2006), who went on to find success with the Packers; tight end Travis Beckum (2009-12); and ILB Uani ‘Unga (2015-16.

LB Carter Coughlin, No. 49

Coughlin wore No. 45 for Minnesota but apparently was willing to go for a new look at the NFL level.

The Number 49, last worn by tight end Isaiah Seawright, a practice squad player, has only been worn 11 times before by a Giants player. The most famous to wear the number is defensive back Tom Landry (1950-55), who went on to become the defensive coordinator for the Giants under head coach Jim Lee Howell before finally landing back home in Dallas as the Cowboys’ head coach.

Other notable players to wear No. 49 for the Giants include linebacker Spencer Paysinger, who wore it for the 2011 Super Bowl season before taking on other Giants jersey numbers; and fullback Nikita Whitlock (2015-16), who at the time was one of a handful of modern-era players who played on both sides of the ball (he played some snaps at defensive tackle, his position in college).

LB TJ Brunson, No. 35

Brunson is another former college player who got to wear a single-digit jersey number (6), which is not allowed in the NFL.

Interestingly, per Rule 5, Section 1, Article 2(b) (Players Numbered By Position), only running backs and defensive backs can be assigned a number between 20-49. (The unusual assignment could be due to the Giants running out of numbers.)

No. 35 was last worn by cornerback Derek Baity Jr, who finished last season on the Giants practice squad.

The most famous Giants to wear No. 35 was Gene “Choo-Choo” Roberts, who played for the Giants from 1947-50. Roberts played his college ball at Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he led the NCAA in scoring in 1946 (117 points).

Roberts also etched his name in the Giants record books when he set a single-game rushing record (218 yards) on November 12, 1950, against the Chicago Cardinals, a record Tiki Barber broke twice, on December 17, 2005, vs. the Chiefs (220) and then again vs. Washington on December 30, 2006 (234).

Other notable Giants to wear the number include cornerback Kevin Dockery (2006-09), who was part of the Super Bowl XLII championship team. Defensive back Curtis Riley also wore the number for the Giants during his lone season (2018) in blue.

CB Chris Williamson, No. 31

Williamson wore No. 6 at the University of Minnesota but will switch to No. 31 with the Giants.

The number was most recently worn by safety and special teams co-captain Michael Thomas, whom the team chose not to re-sign. Before that, two of the more recognizable names to have worn No. 31 included cornerbacks Jason Sehorn (1994-02) and Aaron Ross (2007-13).

LB Tae Crowder, No. 37

Crowder is in the same boat as teammate Brunson regarding having been given a jersey number that’s technically within the legal range for his position as per the rules book.

But again, with 90 men rosters and the Giants having retired a dozen numbers when you do the math, sometimes one has to go outside the box. (Plus, as previously noted, it appears the NFL has relaxed the jersey numbers rules during the preseason given the swollen rosters.)

Crowder wore No. 30 at Georgia, a number that has been assigned to cornerback Darnay Holmes, who can keep the number into the regular season if he wishes.

Meanwhile, No. 37 was last worn by running back Buck Allen (2019) and before him cornerback B.W. Webb in 2018. Perhaps the most memorable name to wear No. 37 was cornerback Charles James in 2013, who would later become a star of the 2015 Hard Knocks series when he was with the Houston Texans.

(Jersey number info via Pro Football Reference.)