Top 15 draft picks in NY Giants history
NY Giants: 12. Linebacker Sam Huff
Speaking of Landry, one of the main reasons he devised this 4-3 defense was thanks to linebacker Sam Huff. Not only did this feature Huff to do what he does best at middle linebacker but he easily revolutionized the position. Drafted in the 1956 NFL Draft by the Giants, during his tenure with the team from 1956-1963, opposing running backs simply couldn’t get past Huff in any way, shape, or form.
At 6-1 and 230 lbs, Huff was truly a force to reckon with because, at the time, no other middle linebacker had his speed, keen defensive abilities, and just a knack for taking down anyone holding the football. Combined with Landry’s ability to make opposing offenses fall right into his defensive 4-3 traps due to the unique positioning of Huff in the middle of the field, it was simply magic on the gridiron.
Huff did his part and helped the Giants win the 1956 NFL Championship Game over the Chicago Bears due to all this. The Giants made a statement to the football world and literally steamrolled the Bears with the final score being 47-7. The Bears’ offense couldn’t do much of anything scoring-wise due to the Giants’ stout defense led by Huff and company.
In the grand scheme of things, Huff will always be remembered for being the first middle linebacker that played elite from start to finish in every game he was a part of. Huff entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 1982 and is considered to be the first true middle linebacker to thrive in the position at its inception.
NY Giants: 11. Cornerback Mark Haynes
Sometimes all you need is that one defensive player that can turn the tides in a rather long drought of not getting a shot at the pure joy of playing in the NFL Playoffs. This is pretty much what happened with cornerback Mark Haynes and his six-year tenure with the Giants.
Selected in Round 1 of the 1980 NFL Draft, Haynes enjoyed doing his best as a premier cornerback to try and end an 18-year drought of the Giants making the postseason. It only took a season of Haynes bringing that aggression and tenacity to the Giants’ defense that this drought finally ended in 1981.
He was a three-time Pro Bowler and known for having a knack at tipping passes and of course, intercepting them. With the Giants, Haynes totaled 13 interceptions and only missed eight games as he was always doing whatever it took to get the Giants to leave a football game victorious.
It’s a shame Haynes couldn’t have stayed just one more season as when he left to join the Denver Broncos in 1985, the Giants ended up going all the way in 1986 to win a Super Bowl championship. It would have been quite the story had he ended their drought and won a Super Bowl during his tenure but at least he helped get them back into the postseason spotlight for all the right reasons. It easily set the foundation for what would be an eventual Super Bowl run.