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NY Giants all-time first-round draft pick squad

By Connor McJunkin

Lawrence Taylor #56, Linebacker the New York Giants during the National Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Rams on 12 November1989 at the Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California, United States. The Rams won the game 31 - 10. (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images)
Lawrence Taylor #56, Linebacker the New York Giants during the National Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Rams on 12 November1989 at the Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California, United States. The Rams won the game 31 - 10. (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Jeremy Shockey of the NY Giants (Photo by James R. Morton/NFLPhotoLibrary)
Jeremy Shockey of the NY Giants (Photo by James R. Morton/NFLPhotoLibrary) /

Tight End

Jeremy Shockey, 2002 NFL Draft/Pick #14, Miami

This was another no-brainer, with Derek Brown (1992) and Evan Engram (2017) being the only other options.

Shockey was one of the best tight ends in the NFL during his peak with the G-Men. He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year after recording 74 catches for almost 900 yards during the 2002 season.

He would make four Pro-Bowls in his first five seasons and quickly became one of young Eli Manning’s favorite targets, catching Manning’s first career touchdown pass.

Although loud, brash, and stubborn, Shockey was and always will be remembered by Giants fans for his physicality, that long, blonde hair flowing out from under his helmet, and that bright red, white, and blue bald eagle tattoo.

He’d finish his Big Blue career with 371 receptions, 4,228 yards, and 27 touchdowns. His 371 receptions are 5th all-time in franchise history and the most by a tight end.

Wide Receiver

Ike Hilliard, 1997 NFL Draft/Pick #7, Florida

Another player that is sometimes overshadowed by the bigger names of other receivers who played for the Giants, Hilliard put together a solid career for Big Blue as a No. 2 wideout to Amani Toomer.

When healthy, Hilliard was a consistent play-maker capable of putting together big games, as we saw from his explosive performance in the 2000 NFC Championship game vs the Minnesota Vikings. His 10 receptions for 155 yards and two scores helped lead the Giants to a 41-0 route to advance to Super Bowl XXXV.

Hilliard finished his Giants career with 368 receptions for 4,630 yards and 27 touchdowns. He stands 6th on the all-time franchise receptions list and 10th in receiving yards.

Hakeem Nicks, 2009 NFL Draft/Pick #29, North Carolina

Nicks exploded onto the scene coming out of North Carolina in 2009, recording almost 800 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns his rookie year. The following two seasons included back-to-back 1,000+ performances and 18 touchdowns.

The height of his career came in the 2011 post-season where his 28 receptions, 444 yards, and 4 touchdowns helped lead the G-Men to their second Super Bowl victory in four years.

Nicks will always be a “What if?” player having his production cut short by injuries. Regardless, his six seasons with Big Blue produced 318 receptions, 4,676 yards, and 27 touchdowns.

Odell Beckham Jr., 2014 NFL Draft/Pick #12, LSU

Not much has to be said about this one. OBJ was a generational talent that completely took the NFL world by storm from the first game he played as a Giant.

He was named the Rookie of the Year in 2014 following a 91 reception, 1,305 yard, 12 touchdown season (in just 12 games) and would go on to make the Pro-Bowl each of his first three seasons and be named a 2nd Team All-Pro in 2015 and 2016.

In four of his five seasons with the Giants, he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and left the franchise No. 2 on the all-time receiving yards list (5,476), No. 4 in receiving touchdowns (44), and No. 4 in receptions (390).

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