The past decade has been a lean one for the New York Giants — one of the worst in their storied history. They missed the playoffs in all but two years, lost at least 10 games seven times, and including interims they cycled through six head coaches and four GMs.
They hurt themselves with some awful decisions in free agency. Their drafting was pretty awful for most of that time, too.
Most of the damage was done by GMs Jerry Reese and Dave Gettleman, while the jury is obviously still out on new GM Joe Schoen. After a promising first draft last April, though, there is hope he can reverse the trend.
How bad has that trend been? Here’s a look at the best and worst picks from each of the Giants’ draft classes from their decade of despair. There were plenty of choices — particularly for the “worst” picks. Where in the draft each player was picked mattered, too.
2022
Best pick: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (first round, fifth overall)
Maybe the Giants expected more than four sacks out of someone picked so high, but Thibodeaux was the first-year highlight of a decent yet injury-plagued class. He also came on strong late, with three sacks in the last five games of 2022. His energy fueled the defense in the second half of the season.
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Worst pick: OL Marcus McKethan (fifth round, 173rd overall)
He tore his ACL early in training camp. It won’t be easy for a 6-foot-7, 335-pounder to come back from that and challenge for a role on the team.
2021
Best pick: LB Azeez Ojulari (second round, 50th overall)
The Giants thought he was a steal when they got him outside the first round, and they were right. Ojulari set a franchise rookie record with eight sacks, then followed that up with 5.5 in just seven games last season. Calf, ankle and quad injuries ruined a potentially huge year.
Worst pick: WR Kadarius Toney (first round, 20th overall)
Billed as the dynamic weapon they needed for their offense, Toney turned out to be a huge headache. He had one big game, a bad attitude and tons of injuries. He played 12 games in New York before the new regime finally traded him last October. Toney wound up playing in the Super Bowl for the Chiefs and returned a punt 65 yards.
2020
Best pick: T Andrew Thomas (first round, fourth overall)
A rough rookie year had him looking like a bust, but by last season Thomas was one of the highest-rated tackles in the game. The Giants are about to pay him like one, too.
Worst pick: T Matt Peart (third round, 99th overall)
He was going to be the book end for Thomas, but he wasn’t good enough to stay in the lineup. Then injuries made everything worse for him. He’s still on the roster, but there’s no guarantee he can find a role.
2019
Best pick: QB Daniel Jones (first round, sixth overall)
He’s exactly what the Giants thought he was, even though few others agreed with them at the time. The fact that he convinced a regime that didn’t draft him to give him a $160 million contract probably says it all.
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Worst pick: CB Deandre Baker (first round, 30th overall)
It was bad enough that he was arrested in connection with an armed robbery (charges were later dropped). Before that, he irritated his teammates who didn’t like his attitude and work ethic. It turned out that the Giants traded back into the first round for a player who wasn’t very good.
2018
Best pick: RB Saquon Barkley (first round, second overall)
Taking a running back this high is arguable. Barkley’s value and greatness is not. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year out of the gate and is a proven difference-maker when he’s healthy. He’s just not healthy enough.
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Worst pick: QB Kyle Lauletta (fourth round, 2018th overall)
Near the end of a 5-11 season, reporters kept asking coach Pat Shurmur if he wanted to play his rookie quarterback. Finally, in a blowout loss late in the season, he did. Afterward, he chided reporters saying, “Hopefully you got a chance to see what you were looking for.” Lauletta went 0-for-5 with an interception. He has never played in the NFL again.
2017
Best pick: DT Dalvin Tomlinson (second round, 55th overall)
In four years in New York, he had eight sacks, was a dominant run-stuffer and never missed a game. He was also a high-character guy whom the Giants should have tried a little harder to re-sign before he left for Minnesota.
Worst pick: DE Avery Moss (fifth round, 167th overall)
The Giants thought they had the next Justin Tuck, which turned out to be really insulting to Tuck. Moss did nothing in 11 games with the team, then spent a year on the practice squad. He ended up starting 10 games in the NFL with zero career sacks.
2016
Best pick: WR Sterling Shepard (second round, 40th overall)
He really had a chance to be one of the great Giants if injuries hadn’t decimated him. He’s still given them 362 catches, 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns over seven seasons. And the popular vet is back for at least one more.
Worst pick: TE Jerell Adams (sixth round, 184th overall)
There were high hopes for Adams on a team that desperately needed a receiving tight end, but he couldn’t beat out Larry Donnell or Will Tye. In all, Adams had 24 catches in two seasons with the Giants.
2015
Best pick: S Landon Collins (second round, 33rd overall)
He gave the Giants four terrific seasons before they decided not to pay him what he was worth. He made the Pro Bowl in three of those seasons, was a first-team All-Pro once, and in his second season he finished third in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Worst pick: DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (third round, 74th overall)
He’s another who drew comparisons to great Giants defensive ends like Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, and again, it proved insulting. In two injury-plagued seasons he had zero sacks. His career basically ended when he was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs.
2014
Best pick: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (first round, 12th overall)
The Giants had their eyes on OT Taylor Lewan, who went 11th to the Titans, and they passed on DT Aaron Donald, who went 13th to the Rams. But there were no regrets because in Beckham’s first three years, he was the greatest receiver in Giants history. Then injuries and unhappiness derailed his career in New York.
Worst pick: DT Jay Bromley (third round, 74th overall)
The Giants overreached on the undersized kid from Queens. He was a solid backup for four seasons, but little more than that.
2013
Best pick: DT Johnathan Hankins (second round, 49th overall)
He never quite lived up to the pass-rushing promise of his seven-sack season in his second year in the league, but he was a terrific run defender. He was a three-year starter in New York and is still going strong (in Dallas now) at age 31.
Worst pick: DE Damontre Moore (third round, 81st overall)
Once projected as a top-10 pick, “DaMonster” slipped far after an awful combine. He did have 8.5 sacks in his last two seasons in New York, but his teammates didn’t like him, he got into several fights with them, and the team eventually cut him late in his third season.
Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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