New York Giants fans and the organization alike hope that general manager Joe Schoen and Co. can build upon their 2024 draft class. From Malik Nabers to Darius Muasau, it was by far Schoen’s best group.
Unfortunately, the past few years haven’t been the greatest for the Giants. They’ve missed on far more picks than they’ve hit. One can only imagine how different this team would’ve looked if they had drafted Micah Parsons instead of Kadarius Toney.
Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest busts in the last five years—and yes, they will be painful.
Five biggest draft busts of Giants' past five years
1. Kadarius Toney, WR (2021)
Probably the worst pick on this list. Then-general manager Dave Gettleman committed a cardinal sin and forced a pick. During the 2021 draft, the entire world knew that Gettleman loved Alabama WR DeVonta Smith. With the Cowboys sitting in front of the Giants, they swapped picks with divisional rival Philadelphia, who took Smith one spot before New York. The Giants sat on the board with Parsons staring them in the face. Gettleman, desperately wanting a wide receiver, traded back from 9 to 20 and picked Toney out of Florida—and the rest was history.
Toney’s time in New York was nothing short of a nightmare. He always seemed to be hurt, starting drama with fans on social media, or making music instead of playing football. After appearing in just 12 games for the Giants, they shipped him to the Kansas City Chiefs. Toney actually managed to win a ring with the Chiefs too. After all the headache he was in New York, he became a Super Bowl Champion just two seasons into his career. How different could this team have looked with Dexter Lawrence and Micah Parsons on the same defense? Toney was probably the biggest bust in quite some time for Big Blue.
2. Aaron Robinson, CB (2021)
Sticking with the same historically bad draft: after selecting Azeez Ojulari (who almost made this list), the Giants traded ahead of the Eagles and took physical press-man corner Aaron Robinson out of UCF. Robinson had the size, speed, strength, and physicality the team wanted—but he could never stay healthy. Fans were optimistic he could be a solid corner, but after a laundry list of injuries and just 11 games played in two years, the Giants ended the failed Robinson project by waiving him with a failed physical designation. Robinson likely won’t be seen in the league again.
3. Matt Peart, OT (2020)
The Giants have been trying to stabilize their offensive line for years. They’ve invested through both free agency and the draft. In the 2020 NFL Draft, they doubled up at tackle—drafting future franchise left tackle Andrew Thomas and hopeful future right tackle Matt Peart. Peart, an athletic tackle out of UConn with 47 games of experience, was supposed to help fix the line. But after four years and 60 games with the Giants, Peart wasn’t re-signed.
During his time in New York, Peart missed time with injuries and started just seven games. He was known as “too soft” by multiple coaches. After his stint with Big Blue, he signed with the Broncos, appeared in 17 games this past season, and was re-signed after some improved play. Coach Bricillo led a much-improved offensive line in 2024—but was a change of scenery all Peart needed, or was it coaching all along? Either way, Peart didn’t work out for the Giants.
4. Josh Ezeudu, OG (2022)
Schoen’s first draft as general manager has had mixed reviews so far. While we wait to see if Kayvon Thibodeaux can become a great pass rusher, Schoen did well with some mid-round picks: Cordale Flott, Daniel Bellinger, Dane Belton, and Micah McFadden. Flott is developing into a solid nickel/slot corner, Belton has made plays on defense and special teams, McFadden is starting-caliber, and Bellinger shows promise but needs to take a leap next season. While it can be argued Schoen reached on Wan’Dale Robinson, Robinson has at least shown potential as a go-to receiver.
In the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants took a big reach on Josh Ezeudu, the offensive lineman out of North Carolina. The pick was a head-scratcher to fans and analysts alike. Ezeudu barely had a draftable grade according to some evaluators. Even more bizarre, the Giants doubled down and took his college teammate Marcus McKethan—another player experts had an undrafted grade on. As expected, Ezeudu has not panned out. He’s buried on the depth chart and likely one draft class away from being released. His time in New York seems all but over.
5. Evan Neal, OT (2022)
Evan Neal couldn’t be left off this list. The former Alabama standout has not panned out in any way for the Giants. Fans were thrilled when the team landed both Thibodeaux and Neal—we thought we had a future star pass rusher and our final piece to the O-line. While the jury is still out on Thibodeaux, the same can’t be said for Neal. He’s just been bad. In the run game, he has moments where he looks like a physical mauler. But in pass protection? There’s always a clip of him getting beat.
Through injuries, multiple offensive line coaches, and attempts to rework his entire game, Neal now finds himself on the outside looking in. With the signings of veteran tackles James Hudson and Stone Forsythe, the Giants are moving Neal inside to guard. Fans have been begging for that move. He’ll have a chance to compete with veterans Greg Van Roten and Aaron Stinnie, who both re-signed this offseason. If Neal can’t seize the opportunity, the Giants will look elsewhere. He’ll go down as the team’s biggest offensive line bust since Ereck Flowers.
Honorable mentions:
John Michael Schmitz, C (2023)
Schmitz was the top center in the draft, yet two years in, he’s looked like a flop. Injuries and inconsistent play have hurt him. The Giants brought back GVR, who filled in admirably at center last season, and that could add pressure. Hopefully, it fuels Schmitz to take the next step.
Jalin Hyatt, WR (2023)
After a promising rookie year, Hyatt logged just 62 yards in his second season. No one really knows why. Was it a personnel decision or trouble with the playbook? With two free-agent WR signings and interest in mid-round prospects, Hyatt has his work cut out for him if he wants to stick with Big Blue.