Aaron Robinson's release shines light on miserable NY Giants 2021 draft class

The NY Giants have had some questionable draft selections in recent years. Many Big Blue supporters were not fans of the Daniel Jones pick, while Ereck Flowers and Eli Apple turned out to be some of the worst first-rounders in franchise history. 

However, the 2021 draft class overseen by Dave Gettleman was one of his more notable gaffes as NY’s general manager. He ultimately set the roster back multiple years with this draft alone. Following the release of cornerback Aaron Robinson, all but one of the players from that class have been cut or traded away to another team.

Azeez Ojulari is the only remaining Giants player from the 2021 draft

Robinson’s injury-riddled career in NY has come to an end after the Giants decided to move on from him. That means four of the team’s six draft selections just three years ago have been cut. Obviously, that reflects poorly on Gettleman and the franchise as a whole.

After being taken No. 71 overall in the third round, Robinson showed some promise as a rookie, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2022 and has not played since. He failed to record an interception during his time with the Giants and made 11 appearances in three years.

Azeez Ojulari is the last man standing in that draft class. Although he has performed when healthy, he has appeared in only 18 games across the past two seasons. The addition of Brian Burns and Joe Schoen’s commitment to Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge puts Ojulari’s role in jeopardy.

The biggest mistake made during the 2021 draft was taking wide receiver Kadarius Toney with NY’s first-rounde. Besides one big game against the Cowboys and Trevon Diggs in his rookie season, Toney provided the team absolutely nothing, catching 39 balls for 420 yards in 2021 before being traded to the Chiefs in Year 2. Not only did the Giants trade down from No. 11 to No. 20, but the No. 12 and No. 13 picks were Micah Parsons and Rashawn Slater, two of the best players in the NFL at their respective positions.

Robinson was not an impact player and was expected to have a limited role in 2024. Regardless, this move just highlights the awful roster management Gettleman was responsible for during his tenure with the G-Men.