The NY Giants have historically had plenty of success, winning four Super Bowls since the merger, while also ranking 11th in all-time win percentage. Despite this, recent seasons have not been too kind to the storied franchise.
However, the Giants are looking good for the future, with a strong 2023 NFL Draft class having people excited about what's to come. When taking a look at the Giants first-rounders from the past decade or so, there have been some big-time hits, and unfortunately some terrible misses.
In this piece, we will be grading all of the Giants first-round picks they've made since 2013 in order to showcase the value of drafting in this league:
NY Giants 2013 first-round pick: Justin Pugh, B
The 2013 NFL Draft is one of the most infamous draft classes the league has ever seen. Despite this, the Giants managed to select one of the few players taken in the first round who are still in the league. Justin Pugh may not be a superstar, but he's consistently been one of the more solid guards in the NFL since he was drafted.
Pugh was originally drafted as a tackle, and during his time at the position, he was rather solid. However, in the 2015 season, Pugh was moved to left guard, where he would have his best seasons in the league. The Giants managed to get themselves an incredibly consistent lineman to kick off their post-Super Bowl rebuild and while it didn't have an impact on their ability to win, Pugh definitely did more good than bad.
Despite this, Pugh would only last five seasons with New York because of everyone's favorite general manager, Dave Gettleman. In the 2018 offseason, both Pugh and Weston Richburg were set to be free agents. Instead of keeping two solid offensive linemen to build the team around, Gettleman let both of them walk in order to free up cap space to sign Nate Solder to the biggest offensive lineman contract ever at the time.
Since leaving, Pugh was a serviceable guard for the Cardinals and he even hinted at making a return to New York this offseason. He's currently a free agent. It's up in the air who he'll play with next season - Pugh continues to recover from his torn ACL.
NY Giants 2014 first-round pick: Odell Beckham Jr., A+
Love or hate him, there's no doubt that in his prime with the Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. was a top-five wide receiver in the NFL, if not top three. While his time with the Giants obviously didn't end as well as everyone would've liked it to, we can't ignore how good Beckham was in New York.
Similar to Pugh, Gettleman was responsible for OBJ leaving town. However, unlike Pugh, the Giants actually got something back for Beckham, receiving the pick they used to select Dexter Lawrence in a trade with the Browns. While it took some years for this trade to actually look good for the Giants, we're definitely glad it did. Looking back at it, Gettleman trading Beckham was a stupid decision by a terrible GM.
During his first five seasons with the team, Beckham caught 390 passes for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns, breaking several team records in the process. In addition to this, Beckham made three Pro Bowls and received two All-Pro second-team selections. While the end of his Giants tenure would be filled with injuries and silly controversies, we're incredibly grateful to have been able to watch Beckham play.
NY Giants 2015 first-round pick: Ereck Flowers, F
There is really no good way to look at this pick. Not only was Ereck Flowers a bad player, but some of the names selected after him could have brought in some game-changing talent for the Giants. Not only was Flowers one of the worst picks made in the entire 2015 NFL Draft, but he's one of the biggest busts of the last decade.
While Flowers would find some footing after making the shift to guard, it wouldn't be enough as Flowers hasn't been in the league since 2021. During his time with New York, though, Flowers was flat-out terrible. In his first three seasons with the team, Flowers would allow 15 sacks, 121 pressures, and would be responsible for 32 penalties.
Flowers was so bad that the Giants couldn't trade him in 2017, and were forced to release him halfway through the season. This move easily set the Giants back by five-plus years. Not only did it take until 2020 for the Giants to find stability at tackle, but the amount of time the team spent trying to develop Flowers caused them to pass on some truly elite talent at the position.
NY Giants 2016 first-round pick: Eli Apple, D
After making one of the team's worst draft picks ever, they followed it up by selecting another bust in the Top 10 with Eli Apple. While Apple's career with the Giants would start off well, it would quickly come screeching to a halt and Apple would be with another team halfway through his third season.
The 2016 NFL Draft class may not have been one of the best years ever in terms of the first round, however, the Giants definitely got it wrong by taking Apple 10th overall. Despite this, things looked promising for Apple after his first season. Through 14 games in his rookie season, Apple allowed 38 receptions on 62 targets for 515 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. These numbers aren't insane, but certainly promising.
However, Apple wouldn't improve at all in his sophomore season, allowing the same amount of receptions on the same amount of targets for 403 yards and six touchdowns in three fewer games. Alongside this, Apple would have several controversies during this season which would eventually lead to him being traded to the Saints five games into the 2018 season.
Since leaving the Giants, Apple has remained in controversy with his loud mouth and poor play. While he had a somewhat solid 2022 season, he is still currently a free agent and the future isn't looking too bright for the 27-year-old cornerback.
NY Giants 2017 first round pick: Evan Engram, C
Following the team's playoff appearance in 2016, the Giants decided to try and add a big-time offensive weapon for an aging Eli Manning. With that in mind, they opted to select tight end Evan Engram 23rd overall. Things started off well for Engram, but since his rookie year, Engram's career has been the definition of a roller coaster.
Engram's first season in the league would be arguably his best, as in 15 games, he caught 64 passes for 722 yards and six touchdowns. However, it would only go down from here. Engram was never going to be a blocker, this was known when the Giants drafted him. However, what was unexpected was the complete regression by Engram as a pass-catcher.
Through Engram's five seasons with the Giants, he'd drop 29 passes, which is just insane to think about. While he would somehow make a Pro Bowl in 2020, real Giants fans know how poorly he played with the team. However, unlike Apple, Engram always handled his struggles in an incredibly mature way and has truly grown into one of the better personalities in the NFL.
It's very unfortunate that Engram didn't pan out. You could tell he loved being in New York, but things just didn't work out and it's definitely for the better that he's in Jacksonville now. Hopefully, he continues to improve playing with Trevor Lawrence in 2023.
NY Giants 2018 first-round pick: Saquon Barkley, B+
We'd love to give the NY Giants a much higher grade for drafting Saquon Barkley. However, the combination of injuries, and the fact that the Giants took a running back second overall hurts his chances. We all know how talented Barkley is, but we can't ignore the fact that injuries have plagued two of the five seasons he's spent in the NFL so far.
Through his first five seasons with the Giants, Barkley has ran the ball 954 times for 4,249 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Alongside this, Barkley has appeared in two Pro Bowls and was the Offensive Rookie of the Year for his draft class. The talent is incredibly clear, but injuries have continuously held Barkley back.
Barkley has played 13+ games in all but one season, but even then, injuries have hampered him in almost every year aside from his rookie season. In Year 2 it was a high ankle sprain early in the season. Then, Barkley tore his ACL in Year 3 and dealt with recovery and another ankle sprain in his fourth season. Even last season, when he made his second Pro Bowl, he was very clearly dealing with an issue that slowed him down.
Now, entering the biggest season of his career, Barkley is dealing with an uncertain future with the Giants due to his possible contract extension. While it seems unlikely that a deal gets done soon, we're hopeful to see Barkley return to the Giants for the foreseeable future.
NY Giants 2019 first-round pick: Daniel Jones, B+
At this point, the only knock you can make on the Giants for taking Daniel Jones is that they might have taken him too early. However, with the way the rest of this draft went, it's hard to complain. The first three years of Jones's career weren't pretty, but after his performance in 2022, it seems like the Giants actually found their franchise QB.
Last season, Jones completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Alongside this, Jones was one of the deadliest QBs on the ground, running the ball 120 times for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. Keep in mind, he did all of this with an incredibly poor receiving core and offensive line. Now, entering 2023, the offensive as a whole has improved drastically.
The way in which Jones improved in nearly every aspect of his game in 2022 isn't talked about nearly enough. If he keeps this up, the Giants could very well be pushing for an NFC Championship Game appearance before you know it.
NY Giants 2019 first round pick: Dexter Lawrence, A+
With the other pick they had in the first round this year, the NY Giants selected Dexter Lawrence. Since being drafted, Lawrence had been one of the more solid interior defensive lineman in the NFL until 2022, as he took the leap to be a no-doubt top-three player at his position.
In 2022, Lawrence was an absolute force, posting 7.5 sacks and 68 total tackles. This led to him making the Pro Bowl, plus taking home Second Team All-Pro honrs. Oh, and Lawrence landed a $90 million extension this offseason.
If there's one thing we can thank Gettleman for, it's bringing the Giants one of the best nose tackles in the NFL. The position may have been dead for a while, but players like Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams are bringing life back to the interior defensive line.
NY Giants 2019 first-round pick: Deandre Baker, F-
After making two very good picks in the first round, Gettleman decided to trade back into the first and select Georgia CB Deandre Baker with the 30th overall pick. However, unlike the previous two selections, Baker ended up being an absolutely disastrous pick and cost the Giants a ton of draft capital.
In his first and only season with the Giants, Baker racked up 57 tackles while allowing 49 receptions on 79 targets for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition to this, Baker was flagged in the secondary a whopping nine times.
Not only was Baker one of the worst corners in the NFL right out of the gate, but some off-the-field troubles caused him to last just one season with the Giants, and three seasons total in the NFL. Honestly, there may not have been a worse pick made in the first round of this draft than Baker.
NY Giants 2020 first round pick: Andrew Thomas, A+
In the 2020 draft, the NY Giants were heavily scrutinized for selecting Andrew Thomas fourth overall. Many believed Thomas had an incredibly high floor, but compared to names like Meckhi Becton, Jedrick Willis, and Tristian Wirfs, Thomas was seen as the worst. However, three years in and those scouts couldn't have been more wrong. Not only is Thomas the best of that bunch, but he is arguably the best left tackle in all of football at the age of 24.
Thomas certainly had a rough start to his career, don't get us wrong. However, since his rookie season, he has done nothing but improve and Giants fans couldn't be happier with the selection Gettleman made.
Last season, Thomas allowed just three sacks and 21 pressures through 619 pass-blocking snaps. Regardless of who lined up in front of him, Thomas dominated. For him to be such an elite talent at such a young age isn't exactly common in the NFL. Gettleman made a lot of bad picks, but there's no doubt he hit the head on the nail with this selection.
After the Giants picked up the fifth-year option on the stud OT, plenty of speculation has arrived on him getting a mega-deal. This needs to happen as soon as possible. Thomas has been a massive building block for the Giants playoff hopes recently and we're proud of the way he's grown.
NY Giants 2021 NFL Draft pick: Kadarius Toney, D
In the last draft of Gettleman's career as Giants GM, he somehow managed to miss out on some of the best players in the entire NFL when he traded back from the 11th pick all the way to 20 in order to select Florida WR Kadarius Toney. In doing this, Gettleman missed out on players like Rashawn Slater and Micah Parsons, who were both selected back to back after the Bears took Justin Fields with the 11th pick.
While the Giants did earn themselves a future first-round pick that ended up being in the top 10 in the 2022 NFL Draft, it doesn't change the fact that the Giants could have had some truly incredible players. Instead, they got Toney, who was almost known more for his music career than his play during his time in New York.
Don't get us wrong, Toney is incredibly talented and has shown that time and time again. However, injuries and some insane levels of immaturity hurt what could have been an incredible career with the Giants. In two seasons, Toney appeared in just 12 games, ultimately being traded to the Chiefs last fall.
NY Giants 2022 first-round pick: Kayvon Thibodeaux, A
It's too early to tell, but from what we've seen so far, it's hard to give the Kayvon Thibodeaux selection anything less than an A. Not only did he show flashes of superstar potential, but he meshed almost perfectly with the culture the Giants are trying to build.
Thibodeaux may not have been consistently great all season long, but he showed more than enough for us to believe he can be a superstar and the best edge-rusher in his draft class. Thibodeaux was arguably responsible for two of the Giants' wins this season. Whether it be his literal game-winning sack against the Ravens, or strip-sack touchdown against the Commanders that gave the Giants all the momentum they needed, Thibodeaux had no shortage of elite moments in his rookie season.
Entering 2023, Thibodeaux will be looking to contribute to a playoff-contending Giants squad while also potentially making the leap into stardom. We have all the faith in the world that Thibodeaux will prove anyone who doubted his potential wrong in the coming years.
NY Giants 2022 first round pick: Evan Neal, B
With the pick the Giants earned from trading back to land Toney, they selected who many thought was the best tackle in the 2022 draft class, Evan Neal. While he may not have been as great as Thibodeaux, Neal showed flashes at times throughout the season despite the rough rookie year he had.
Neal may have struggled this season, but it's worth noting that rookie offensive linemen notoriously have problems early on. However, he was also playing right tackle for the first time since 2020 and dealt with some injuries that hampered his play as well.
Entering 2023 with an offseason to heal and train with NFL legends at right tackle, we have few doubts that we will see a jump out of Neal in his sophomore year. He and Thibodeaux will continue to shine and show the difference between Joe Schoen and Gettleman as general managers.
NY Giants 2023 first round pick: Deonte Banks, A
Obviously, it's too early to judge the Deonte Banks selection considering that he hasn't played a snap in the NFL. However, considering that the Giants went into the 2023 NFL Draft with a massive gap at corner and Schoen managed to snag arguably a top-three player at the position in his class, it's hard to say this wasn't a great pick.
Time will tell how well this pick will truly pan out. However, we're incredibly excited to see how Banks pans out. As you've seen, the Giants don't have the best history of drafting corners in the first round recently. Despite this, we have more faith in Banks than we ever had in Apple or Baker to be great in this league.
Banks will play a pivotal role on this Giants team and it will be incredibly exciting to see how he stacks up against the other corners in his draft class. Indeed, 2023 will be a very fun year for the Giants and their fans. Adding a guy like Banks into the mix only has us more excited to see what will happen. It could be a year to remember for the University of Maryland product.
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