Ranking Every Giants Draft Class of the Last Decade: From Franchise-Changing to Forgettable

The New York Giants have not maximized the value of their draft classes over the past decade.

How bad has it been? Ahead of the 2026 draft, the last decade of Giants draft classes has yielded just nine projected starters for 2026 and 12 backups, with 51 players no longer with the team (many of whom have found success with other teams).

Therein lies a big reason why the Giants have been on the outside looking in year over year. They have failed to develop and retain their drafted talent and have had to rely on free agency.

That, in turn, has drained the financial resources needed to retain emerging talent. In short, all the work they have done year in and year out on draft prospects that didn’t pan out has gone to waste–just like many of the Giants’ seasons over the last decade.

Not all has been bleak for the Giants in the draft. Let’s go in and look at the last ten classes, ranking them from worst to best.

No. 10: Class of 2021

New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney was one of the worst first-round pick by the team in the last ten years. | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

By far, this is the worst Giants draft class of the last ten years, and it’s not even close.

Start with the decision to trade back with the Bears, the Giants dropping from No. 11 to No. 20.

Although New York picked up an extra first-round pick to use in the following year’s draft, they passed on edge rusher Micah Parsons, offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker just so they could grab Florida “gadget” receiver Kadarius Toney.

The outcome of this decision proved suboptimal for the Giants.

If you thought that was a bad move, unlike the other classes, there wasn’t a single saving grace in this group. Edge Azeez Ojulari, the second-round pick, showed flashes of promise, but couldn’t stay healthy.

Cornerback Aaron Robinson, the third-round pick, was injured and barely played, as was fourth-round pick Elerson Smith. And the Giants got very little out of both their sixth-round picks, Gary Brightwell, a running back, and cornerback Rodarius Williams.

New York might have just been better off not partaking in the draft that year, as it would have been the same thing as what they got from that class, minus the embarrassment.

No. 9: Class of 2016

Cornerback Eli Apple was another first-round clunker by the Giants. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Thanks to loose lips, the Giants, drafting tenth overall in 2016, missed out on pass rusher Leonard Floyd and offensive lineman Jack Conklin, two players who would have likely helped the team a lot better than their eventual first-round pick, cornerback Eli Apple.

Apple was widely believed to be the panic pick, a guy many had as a Day 2 draft option.

But again, when word somehow got out about who the Giants were coveting, teams leaped ahead of them, the Bucs swapping places with the Bears, who moved up to No. 9 to get Floyd, and the Browns swapping spots with the Eagles to grab Jack Conklin at No. 8.

The saving grace in this class was wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who succeeded Victor Cruz as the team’s primary slot receiver, going on to enjoy an eight-year career in Blue before joining the Bucs in 2024.

No. 8: Class of 2019

Dexter Lawrence (Clemson) is selected as the number seventeen overall pick to the New York Giants. — Dexter Lawrence (Clemson) is selected as the number seventeen overall pick to the New York Giants and has had a pretty good career in blue. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The Giants, who had picked up an extra draft pick in the Odell Beckham, Jr. trade, turned that pick from the Browns (No. 17 overall) into Dexter Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman and two-time second-team All-Pro.

The rest of the class was a joke. Then general manager Dave Gettleman went with Duke quarterback Daniel Jones over Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen, who has since been the more consistent performer of the two.

He also inexplicably traded up to acquire Georgia cornerback DeAndre Baker, a guy who had some character concerns coming out of school, given a reportedly poor work ethic.

Making matters worse, the Giants gave up a second, fourth, and fifth-round pick to get Baker; if they had been patient and held the line, they might have been able to land Sean Murphy-Bunting in the second round.

Alternatively, trading up could have positioned the Giants to select Byron Murphy if they sought to bolster the cornerback position.

Not all was lost with this class. The Giants still have receiver Darius Slayton, their first-round pick, as one of their projected starting receivers. And they also landed safety Julian Love in the fourth round. It’s just too bad that they weren't able to retain Love, who later went on to become a Pro Bowler with the Seahawks, whom he joined as an unrestricted free agent.

No. 7: Class of 2018

Saquon Barkley was a very good player, but wasn't the right pick for the Giants at the time he was drafted. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

General manager Dave Gettleman picked Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall to take pressure off aging quarterback Eli Manning, who had thrown over 600 passes the previous two seasons.

That said, the intentions were also shortsighted. New York back then didn’t have much of an offensive line, and they would have been far better off trading back a few spots for Notre Dame offensive lineman Quentin Nelson, who eventually went to the Colts.

Manning, sacked a career-high 47 times in 2018, likely valued protection more than a new running back.

Drafting quarterback Kyle Lauletta in the fourth round was fruitless; he played just two games before being released.

Defensive lineman BJ Hill stood out but, due to the team's ongoing line issues, was traded to the Bengals for Billy Price.

No. 6: Class of 2022

The Giants hoped that Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal would be their right tackle for the next decade. It was not meant to be. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Joe Schoen’s first draft, done with minimal prep time, was his weakest, this due to him taking over the Giants GM role in late January of that year and having to assist new head coach Brian Daboll with assembling a coaching staff.

Regardless, this 11-member Giants class did not develop. Of the three premium rounds where the Giants had five picks, only second-rounder Wan’Dale Robinson contributed meaningfully during his time with the team before departing.

First-rounder Kayvon Thibodeaux has performed well but not at the star level expected for a fifth overall pick; his long-term role with the team is increasingly uncertain.

Third-rounder Joshua Ezeudu struggled to find consistency, partly due to being played out of position by the coaching staff. The other third-rounder, Cor’Dale Flott, did not have a significant impact until Year 4, when he finally broke out.

It says quite a lot when one can argue that the best pick of this class was fifth-rounder Micah McFadden, an inside linebacker who, unfortunately, suffered a season-ending injury early last year that has reduced him to an uncertain commodity moving forward.

No. 5: Class of 2023

The Giants traded up to get Maryland defensive back Deonte Banks. So far that trade isn't looking so good. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Schoen’s second at-bat wasn’t really much better than his first one in 2022. The Giants traded up one spot to get Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, a scheme-specific player for the then-defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

Once Martindale left, Banks looked like a fish out of water, the biggest issue being himself and his tendency to give up on plays when he got frustrated.

But that wasn’t the worst of this class. The Giants also traded up in the third round for receiver Jalin Hyatt out of Tennessee, who came to the team from a limited offense and is still trying to carve out a role for himself on the team.

Hyatt's playing time peaked as a rookie, but he has since received fewer opportunities, especially after the team added Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney via free agency, raising concerns about his future on the roster.

One can make an argument that center John Michael Schmitz is the only worthwhile pick from this class, but Schmitz, who was hailed as the top center in that year’s draft, has been somewhat underwhelming, even though he has gradually improved.

No. 4: Class of 2020

After a shaky start to his NFL career, New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has developed into a rock. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The Giants had some really good players come from this class, most notably left tackle Andrew Thomas and safety Xavier McKinney, the first and second-round picks, respectively.

They also had some solid special teams contributors in this class in linebackers Cam Brown (sixth round), Carter Coughlin, and Tae Crowder (seventh round).

However, McKinney, offensive tackle Matt Peart, and slot cornerback Darnay Holmes each reached their peak performance after leaving the Giants, illustrating that their potential might have been better realized with improved team development.

No. 3: Class of 2017

Tight end Evan Engram was serviceable and might have been better for the Giants had he been used properly all along. | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Giants drafted 23rd in the order this year, thanks to their making the postseason the year prior. Despite having only six picks, they managed to get some decent production from first-round tight end Evan Engram, second-round defensive tackle Davin Tomlinson, and fourth-round running back Wayne Gallman.

This class also included Davis Webb, selected in the third round, who saw limited action before transitioning to a coaching career and becoming the Denver Broncos' offensive coordinator.

Webb was sent packing the following year when the Giants made a change at head coach from Ben McAdoo to Pat Shurmur, and he never really got a chance to show what he could have become.

One has to wonder if, given his work as a coach out in Denver, he would have blossomed into a viable backup in New York if he had been given the chance.

No. 2: Class of 2024

The Giants got themselves a stud receiver in LSU 's Malik Nabers | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This class turned things around for Schoen, who was coming off two subpar drafts. Five of the six picks–receiver Malik Nabers, safety Tyler Nubin, slot cornerback Dru Phillips, tight end Theo Johnson, and running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr–all project to be starters moving forward, which is a pretty good accomplishment.

Yes, there are concerns about Nabers coming off the torn ACL, and yes, it's fair to say that Nubin, Phillips, and Johnson all regressed a bit in their respective second seasons.

But the talent is there, and the hope is that, with the newer, more experienced coaching staff in place, the regression gets wiped out and those players start trending upward again.

No. 1: Class of 2025

The New York Giants may have hit the jackpot with 2025 first round draft picks, Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart. | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

When you have a class in which you find your franchise quarterback (Jaxson Dart), a stud pass rusher (Abdul Carter), and promising depth in the trenches (defensive lineman Darius Alexander and offensive lineman Marcus Mbow), you’ve done a pretty good job.

Toss in new fan favorite Cam Skattebo at running back, whose style conjured up memories of the old smash-mouth football style of Giants teams from the 1980s, and it’s hard not to deem this class as a homerun, even though it’s only one year into its collective NFL tenure.

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