Redrafting the NY Giants' Worst First-round Draft Pick of the Century

The Giants' drafting of receiver Kadarius Toney in 2021 was a disaster. Here's what they should have done instead.

Jul 29, 2022; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney (89) runs a drill during training camp. | Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

The New York Giants have had their share of clunkers this century when it has come to the first round of the NFL draft–defensive William Joseph (2003), offensive lineman Ereck Flowers (2015), cornerback Eli Apple (2016), cornerback DeAndre Baker (2019), receiver Kadarius Toney (2021), offensive lineman Evan Neal (2022), and cornerback Deonte Banks (2023) all qualify for this list.

In our opinion, the worst of the first-round picks by the Giants this century–and it’s not even close–is Toney, whom the Giants traded down in the first round of that 2021 draft to get and still got it so horribly wrong.

Toney, a receiver out of Florida, played in just 12 games for the Giants with five starts, amassing 41 receptions 960 pass targets) for 420 yards and no touchdowns.

He ended up as the Giants' pick after the Eagles, in a rare trade among divisional foes, jumped the Giants for Alabama receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, a player whom then-Giants head coach Joe Judge was said to have coveted.

Poor production aside, Toney was a walking injury and didn’t exactly boast the most professional of attitudes in the locker room.

According to Pro Football Reference, Toney finished with a weighted career approximation value of seven, one of the lowest of all the team’s first-round picks since 2011.

He was eventually traded in his second season to the Kansas City Chiefs, which, all bidding aside, was the only way Toney helped the Giants that had any true value.  

What the Giants should have done

The Giants should have drafted offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, who went to the Los Angeles Chargers, instead. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While the trade down by the Giants that year from No. 11 to No. 20 netted the Giants an extra first-round pick that they used the following year for outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive lineman Evan Neal, it’s probably fair to say that the Giants reached for the pick of Toney.

New York had a chance to draft Penn State edge rusher Micah Parsons at No. 11, but that went out the window with the trade down.  But there was one other player who was still on the board, had the Giants not traded down, who could have definitely helped the team.

That would be offensive lineman Rashawn Slater, who went to the Chargers at No. 13. Slater, a two-time Pro Bowler, has been an anchor at left tackle his entire career. Interestingly enough, the Giants drafted Andrew Thomas in the first round the year prior.

While New York’s patience paid off with Thomas, Slater, who had played 1,913 snaps at right tackle at Northwestern, could have given the Giants a pair of young bookend offensive tackles that could have grown old together as the anchors of that offensive line.

Since the Giants didn’t stay put, what would their best option have been at No. 21? We would have leaned toward Michigan edge rusher Kwity Paye, who went to the Colts at No. 21 to give the Giants, who at the time had Azeez Ojulari and Lorenzo Carter, more depth at that spot.

The bottom line is that while the Giants did get an extra pick in the top 10 by trading down, they ultimately had nothing to show for it, as New York finished 4-13 in 2021 and has had only one winning season (2022, when they went 9-7-1) since.

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