Giants somehow have Odell Beckham Jr. to thank for Francis Mauigoa

Let’s hop in the DeLorean and go back in time. It’s March 12, 2019, and the New York Giants just traded star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for safety Jabrill Peppers, a 2019 first-round pick, and a 2019 third-round pick.

Where is the team heading, and who will head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman pick with all these draft assets? OBJ’s departure from New York has left Big Blue fans miserable, but this regime is clearly looking for a new chapter in the franchise’s history.

Now, let’s go back to the present day: what if I told you the Giants wouldn’t be where they are right now if Beckham had never been traded? Let me explain.

OBJ’s Giants trade is still paying dividends seven years later

The Giants had three first-round picks in 2019, all of whom are no longer on the team. They used No. 6 overall to draft Daniel Jones, their quarterback of the future; No. 17 from the OBJ trade to select Clemson nose tackle Dexter Lawrence; and No. 30 after trading back up with the Seahawks to select Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker.

As for the third-round pick they acquired in the Odell trade to Cleveland, they used pick No. 95 to select Old Dominion edge rusher Oshane Ximines, who, by the way, is also no longer on the Giants. Still, at the time, the future looked bright for Big Blue.

Well, that season didn’t go as planned. The G-Men finished 4-12, Shurmur was fired, and what followed was several more years of instability in New York. Seven years and several head coaches later, John Harbaugh is now at the helm.

The most important part of the OBJ transaction was the No. 17 pick, which became Lawrence, who went on to play seven seasons in New York and was a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler.

When Big Blue and Sexy Dexy hit a wall in contract negotiations and Lawrence eventually requested a trade, New York received the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft from the Bengals, which became Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.

Seven years later, the OBJ trade has officially come full circle. Beckham is back home in Giants blue, Lawrence’s time in New York ultimately helped the G-Men land a potential franchise offensive lineman, and now OBJ and Sisi will take the field as teammates.

Nobody could’ve drawn it up this way when Beckham was shipped to Cleveland in 2019. But as the Giants prepare to begin a new era under John Harbaugh, one of the most controversial trades in franchise history is somehow still leaving its fingerprints on the roster.

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