NY Giants Draft: Why their Draft Position Shouldn’t Matter

NY Giants 3rd Round Picks Since 2005

• 2005: DE Justin Tuck, Notre Dame, #74 Overall
• 2006: LB Gerris Wilkinson, Georgia Tech, #96 Overall
• 2007: DT Jay Alford, Penn State, #81 Overall
• 2008: WR Mario Manningham, Michigan, #95 Overall
• 2009: WR Ramses Barden, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, #85 Overall, and TE Travis Beckum, Wisconsin, #100 Overall
• 2010: DB Chad Jones, LSU, #76 Overall
• 2011: WR Jerrel Jernigan, Troy, #83 Overall
• 2012: CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech, #94 Overall
• 2013: DE Damontre Moore, Texas A&M, #81 Overall
• 2014: DT Jay Bromley, Syracuse, #74 Overall
• 2015: DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA, #74 Overall
• 2016: FS Darian Thompson, Boise State, #71 Overall
• 2017: QB Davis Webb, California, #87 Overall
• 2018: OLB/DE Lorenzo Carter, Georgia, #66 Overall, and DL B.J. Hill, NC State, #69 Overall
• 2019: OLB/DE Oshane Ximines, Old Dominion, #95 Overall
• 2020: OT Matt Peart, UCLA, #99 Overall

3rd Round Analysis:

The infamous 3rd round of the NFL Draft. This is better known as the Giants’ death round as they seem to never hit on any 3rd round picks. The 3rd round is the last round of Day 2 of every NFL Draft, and the Giants haven’t found a meaningful prospect in the 3rd round in years.

After Justin Tuck in 2005, it all goes downhill steady from there.

Tuck is one of the NY Giants’ best value picks since 2000. The 74th overall pick played nine seasons in New York, winning both Super Bowls and racking up two All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors apiece. Tuck had 60.5 sacks as a Giant and none were more meaningful than his 4 sacks in the Super Bowl. There’s a very good case to be made Tuck could have deserved either MVP award for the two championships as he racked up 4 sacks, 9 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, one huge forced fumble, 5 more QB hits, and a safety for the game-opening points of Super Bowl 46. Tuck is one the best Giants since 2005 and he was a team captain and leader for his nine years of service with the team. He is now distinguished in Giants lore forever with his Ring of Honor induction in 2016.

After Tuck, it’s slow-sledding and an ugly picture looking at the Giants’ 3rd Round picks.

Following suit in 2006, Gerris Wilkinson never made any substantial impact with the team. Wilkinson played five years with the Giants, starting 7 games over that span. He was a part of the SB 42 team as a reserve linebacker and special teamer.

Jay Alford’s two seasons in NY was mainly him filling in as depth on the defensive line. Alford had 4.5 sacks in two years, an admirable number given the lack of snaps he saw. Alford’s shining moment in blue came in Super Bowl 42. On the game’s last drive, Tom Brady found himself absolutely swallowed by Alford. The rookie d-tackle came in and absolutely obliterated Brady with the most painful, significant bear hug of a sack of his entire life. It all but confirmed the best in Giants fans’ hearts as they shocked the undefeated Patriots.

Mario Manningham joined the team after the Super Bowl and instantly carved out a role in the offense. The 95th pick from Michigan, Super Mario was a key figure on the offense for three years. Manningham racked up 1,766 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2009 and 2010. Injuries hampered Mario’s 2011 regular season but his impact and defining legacy came during the Giants 2011 playoff run. His 189 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 4 games will forever be remembered. No catch was as important or legendary as his unforgettable sideline catch in Super Bowl 46. Eli Manning threw one of the best passes in NFL history as Manningham toe-tapped the sidelines to haul in the catch. The sideline video of Bill Belichick telling his defense, “Make them throw to Pascoe and Manningham” will forever be bulletin board material for Giants fans.

Both 2009 3rd round picks were utter disasters for New York.

That year, Reese took two weapons in the 3rd round in Travis Beckum and Ramses Barden. Barden’s 6’6 frame was too intriguing to pass up. Unfortunately, the ex-#13 was never able to make any impact whatsoever in the Giants’ offense. He won a ring with the team in 2011 as a reserve receiver. Beckum never had a role in the offense as he was stuck behind Kevin Boss, Bear Pascoe, and Jake Ballard. Beckum was a total bust, and his only shining moment was a 67-yard touchdown against the undefeated Packers in 2011, on the game’s opening drive. Other than that, there was no warm or fuzzy memories from either player.

2012  third-round pick Jayron Hosley never figured out a role in the Giants secondary. He lasted four seasons in New York.

Damontre Moore was once viewed as a potential top-5 pick in the 2013 Draft. Moore’s athleticism and pass-rushing prowess were elite but his immaturity and off-the-field question marks and concerns killed his draft stock. Moore was a naturally-gifted pass rusher but his personality and locked room antics were too much for a professional team.  Moore was cut midway through his 3rd season, after fighting a teammate over some nonsense about Beats headphones.

Jay Bromley in 2014 was another wasted pick for the Giants. The Syracuse grad was seen as a fringe Day 3 prospect and possible UDFA player. The Giants severely reached for a player who never developed into anything for the team.

Owa Odighizuwa was expected to bolster the team’s pass rush. Compared to Justin Tuck himself, his athletic marvels never translated to the NFL. His career lasted only two brief seasons in the NFL.

In 2016, Darian Thompson was counted on to be the ballhawk he was at Boise State where he picked up 19 picks in four years. Thompson got hurt his rookie year before playing one full season with the team in 2017 before being released.

Davis Webb was once touted as the likely heir to Eli Manning’s throne. If only that was ever a sound plan. Webb’s playbook obsession and curiosity didn’t overcome the simple fact he was never going to be a starting quarterback. He never saw a meaningful snap in two seasons before being cut in 2018.

Lorenzo Carter and B.J. Hill both were taken in the 3rd round in 2018. Hill impressed early on as a rookie, surprising many with 5.5 sacks. He’s never found the same role in the defense and has been demoted to backup duties. Carter is yet to breakthrough in his three seasons. He had 4.5 sacks in his first two seasons before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles injury in Week 5 of 2020. The jury is out on both players but both of their stocks are trending towards disappointing busts right now.

Much of the above with Carter applies to Oshane Ximines as well. The parallels are similar as Ximines racked up 4.5 sacks in his rookie year and was counted on to have a larger role in 2020 before a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4. The jury is still out on Ximines.