The New York Giants have a knack for making draft weekend feel like the Super Bowl of hope. With nine top-ten picks in the last twelve years—thanks to a post-Super Bowl XLVI drought—Big Blue fans are conditioned to expect fireworks on Day 1. Sometimes, they even get two first-rounders, like in 2022 (thanks to a 2021 trade-down), 2025 (trading back up), and now 2026 (by dealing Dexter Lawrence). Heck, in 2019, they had three, courtesy of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade and another move back into the first round. They've also stacked picks in Rounds 2 and 3 in years like 2018 and 2022.
With all that premium talent, you'd think the Giants would be perennial contenders. Yet, they've only made the playoffs twice in that span—and won just one postseason game. The excitement of draft weekend hasn't exactly translated to Sunday glory. Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at their Day 1 and 2 picks over the years:
2015: Ereck Flowers, Landon Collins, Owa Odighizuwa
2018: Saquon Barkley, Will Hernandez, Lorenzo Carter, B.J. Hill
2019: Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Deandre Baker, Oshane Ximines
2021: Kadarius Toney, Azeez Ojulari, Aaron Robinson
2022: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Evan Neal, Wan'Dale Robinson, Joshua Ezeudu, Cor'Dale Flott
2023: Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz, Jalin Hyatt
That's 37 picks over 11 seasons. If we highlight the ones who've been at least productive—if not great—NFL players, we get about 20 names. That's a 54% "hit" rate. Not terrible, but not championship-caliber either.
Now, you might quibble with a few. Take Evan Engram: Giants fans loved to hate him, but he's been a starter on three different teams over nine seasons, never seeing fewer than 64 targets a year. Will Hernandez never quite clicked in New York, yet he's started for eight NFL seasons when healthy. Lorenzo Carter? He's been a regular starter for Atlanta since leaving the Giants. And then there's Daniel Jones—yes, he's had his struggles, but he's won a playoff game and was on pace to lead the Colts to the postseason last year before an injury cut him down.
So, what can we expect from the Giants' 2025 Day 1 and 2 picks? History says hope is justified, but patience is key. The talent is there—it's about turning those draft weekend cheers into consistent, game-day production. For Giants fans, that's the real test.