Top 15 draft picks in NY Giants history

NY Giants: 2. Quarterback Eli Manning

Could you imagine what would have happened had quarterback Eli Manning been stuck going to a team he refused to play for? That’s what happened back in the 2004 NFL Draft. It was quite the controversy at the time as the Los Angeles Chargers selected Manning and the Giants took the next best quarterback off the board, Philip Rivers.

A trade happened as Manning wanted to play for New York at any cost and the Giants thankfully, made it happen. The result? One of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game and another player that spent his entire 15-year career with the Giants.

Manning would take and win two Super Bowls with the Giants back in 2007 and 2011. It’s crazy to think what could have happened if Rivers did indeed end up playing for the Giants instead. Would he have had the same success as Manning did?

Who knows but at the end of the day, it will easily go down as one of the greatest trades in Giants’ history for bringing a Super Bowl-winning quarterback to the franchise and hopefully, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Manning was everything the Giants could ask for and then some and will forever be cherished by Giants fans for a job well done under center.

NY Giants: 1. Linebacker Lawrence Taylor

Ladies and gentlemen, the No. 1 top draft pick of all-time by the Giants is none other than the man, the myth, the legend himself, linebacker Lawrence Taylor. In the grand scheme of things, Taylor is easily the kind of linebacker the NFL will likely never see again because of how elite he was.

Selected in Round 1 of the 1981 NFL Draft, Taylor spent his entire 12-year career with the Giants and every play, sack, tackle, and soundbite is still remembered to this very day. He totaled a surreal 142 sacks and only missed four games in his entire playing career. That’s right, he started in 180 games out of 184 over that entire span.

Since Taylor was a phenom at the position, he went to 10 Pro Bowls as his initials of LT will forever be a part of Giants’ and football history. He was so impressive to watch on game day that he was a constant feature on every sports highlight show each and every week. He was vocal on the field, a leader in every aspect you can think of, and won two Super Bowls during his tenure in 1986 and 1990.

Once Taylor officially retired in 1993, the NFL has yet to see a linebacker with his high level of intensity, productivity, and just sheer brute force at doing whatever it took to take down quarterbacks. He would plow through huge offensive linemen as if they were nothing on a daily basis. It’s been decades since the football world has seen a player as legendary as Taylor and well, it’s great to know that every single time any football fan thinks of one of the greatest players ever, one of the greatest linebackers ever, and one of the greatest defenders ever, they’ll only be able to think about #56 doing it in a Giants uniform.