Top 15 draft picks in NY Giants history
NY Giants: 10. Running Back Frank Gifford
When the Giants selected running back Frank Gifford back in the 1952 NFL Draft, they weren’t getting just a running back. They were literally getting a Swiss Army knife of a football player that would be great in any role on the roster.
Gifford could run the football effectively, throw the football with accuracy, catch receptions with purpose, and yes, he even played defense. Of course, that wouldn’t work in today’s NFL but back in the 50s, Gifford was just one of those rare football players that simply was ahead of everyone else with his pure athleticism to do anything that was asked of him whether it was on offense, defense, or special teams.
With his entire 12-year career with the Giants, Gifford will easily go down as one of the top draft picks in franchise history. As a running back, he totaled 3,609 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns. As a receiving option, he totaled 5,434 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns. As a defender, he loved to hit hard and cause fumbles, totaling 48 and recovering 17 of them.
Besides everything he achieved on Big Blue as a future Pro Football Hall of Fame player, Gifford went on to have an amazing broadcasting career as his voice is up there with other broadcasting legends such as John Madden and Pat Summerall. It’s amazing to see how much of his life was dedicated to the Giants and the world of pro football as a whole.
NY Giants: 9. Linebacker Carl Banks
Continuing in the tradition of the Giants being known for having some of the best linebackers to ever play the game, Carl Banks was truly a beast of a defender in the positional group. In Round 1 of the 1984 NFL Draft, it was a no-brainer for the Giants to select Banks.
At 6-4 and 235 lbs, Banks quickly went to work as a top outside linebacker ready to wreak havoc against opposing offenses. He was excellent as a pass rusher, totaling 36 sacks with the Giants and 627 tackles. The Giants knew when they drafted him they were indeed getting a special player.
It was these kinds of incredible numbers that helped catapult the Giants into the NFL history books. Banks was a huge part of both Super Bowl-winning championship teams back in 1986 and 1990, respectively. All Banks knew was going after quarterbacks and making the Giants’ defense during the mid-80s and early 90s something opposing offenses absolutely feared to go up against.
It’s crazy to think after such huge numbers and two Super Bowl championships to his credit, at the time of this writing, Banks has yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hopefully, he gets in sooner rather than later because he was an instrumental part in both championship runs of Big Blue.