The Giants are in the midst of one of their biggest offseasons in recent memory, turning in some big signings like Kenny Golladay despite working up against the salary cap.
Looking to push itself back to the top of what was a lowly NFC East last year, New York could use a hit in the draft on Thursday, and Big Blue has a few intriguing options at 11th overall.
If the Giants find any kind of production at No. 11 like they did with these five draft picks, they’ll be in good shape:
Harry Carson
We’ll start this list with an absolute steal, with Carson being taken in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft, and the linebacker made an almost immediate impact. He won the starting job at middle linebacker midway through his rookie season, was named to the All-Rookie Team, and kept ascending from there.
Carson is known for his huge goal line stop of Gerald Willhite in Super Bowl XXI, which resulted in a Giants victory. Carson went on to be a nine-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Michael Strahan
Another steal for the Giants at 40th overall, Strahan went on to record 141.5 sacks in 15 seasons with the Giants. His sack total was good for sixth-most in NFL history.
Strahan’s 22.5 sacks in 2001 set a league-record, and he led the league with 18.5 sacks in 2003. He was able to go out on top, with his last NFL game being the most memorable in Giants history, upsetting the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2007. Strahan is now in the Hall of Fame.
Phil Simms
Here’s another Super Bowl champ that goes down as one of New York’s best draft picks ever. Simms was taken seventh overall out of Morehead State in 1979, and spent his entire 15-year career with Big Blue. That stint included two Pro Bowl selections, the second coming in his final season in 1993.
Simms outdueled John Elway in Super Bowl XXI, completing 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, while not throwing any interceptions. That was good for a quarterback rating of 150.9.
Philip Rivers
That’s right! Rivers didn’t play a single snap with the Giants, but he is a no-brainer for this list because of what followed his selection at fourth overall. New York, in an agreement with the Chargers, drafted Rivers and traded him to San Diego for Eli Manning, who had been drafted with the No. 1 pick.
The Giants had been starved for quarterback success by the time Manning arrived, having not seen a true franchise quarterback since Simms, and Manning delivered, winning two Super Bowls, orchestrating the most memorable drive in Giants history (with a little help from David Tyree’s helmet). He retired with 57,023 passing yards, 366 touchdowns and a debatable case for the Hall of Fame.
Lawrence Taylor
Tough to go wrong with one of the best defensive players of all time, which the Giants acquired when they drafted L.T. second overall in the 1981 draft. Taylor began his career with 10 straight Pro Bowl selections and was named First-Team All-Pro in his first six seasons.
Taylor finished his career with 132.5 sacks and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. Most importantly for Giants fans, he was a pillar on the team’s Super Bowl runs in 1986 and 1990.
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