New York Giants: 30 greatest players in franchise history

It’s not every day a 19th-round pick develops into a Hall of Famer, but that’s exactly what happened in the instance of Andy Robustelli. Although that only made the Giants’ outstanding defensive end the 228th overall pick (there were much fewer teams back in the 1950s), that’s quite the value selection.

Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, Robustelli burst onto the scene, being named an All-Pro defensive end in two of his first five seasons. Then, he was traded to the Giants and somehow saw even more success as one of the league’s most disruptive ends.

To say that Robustelli was a destructive force would be an understatement. Whenever he was on the field, bad things were bound to happen for the opposing offense.

When he retired in 1964, he owned the record for the most forced fumbles with 22. Robustelli also returned his only two career interceptions for touchdowns, earning the 1962 Bert Bell award (the NFL’s best defensive player) along the way.

Robustelli may have made his mark many years ago, but he still stands as one of the greatest Giants defenders to ever step foot on the field. Who knows where he’d sit on the all-time sack lists if sacks were actually recorded during his days in the NFL?