We’re nearing the end of our top 20 draft picks in the last 50 years of New York sports, with Evan and Tiki revealing numbers eight through five earlier today.
From a major what-could-have-been to some of the best defensive players New York has ever seen on the gridiron, these next four entries are worthy of being near the top of the list.
Read more about the next four picks below, and tune in to Evan and Tiki on Wednesday for the final four picks of the countdown!
8: Roger Clemens, 12th round, 1981
This one might hurt, but the Mets did take Clemens in 1981 before the future seven-time Cy Young winner went unsigned, and eventually went to the Red Sox in the first round two years later. A wise choice for Clemens given the signing bonus increase, but imagine a Mets staff in the 1980s that featured young studs Clemens and Dwight Gooden atop the rotation. That would have been a sight to behold.
The Mets got the best of Clemens and Boston in the 1986 World Series, and Clemens’ feud with Mike Piazza more than a decade later made him a true villain in Queens.
7: Michael Strahan, 2nd round, 1993
An absolute steal by the Giants, Strahan went on to earn seven Pro Bowls with Big Blue, put together a Hall of Fame career, and ended that career as part of the stingy Big Blue defense that pulled off the greatest upset in NFL history, shocking the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The Giants’ all-time sacks leader, Strahan led the NFL in that category twice during his career, including 22.5 in 2001.
6: Joe Klecko, 6th round, 1977
Keeping with the draft steals narrative, the Jets had no idea they were taking a future Hall of Famer in Klecko with the 144th overall pick, but sure enough, Klecko became one of the great pass rushers in Gang Green history. He led the league with 20.5 sacks in 1981, earned four Pro Bowl nods, and was finally inducted in Canton in 2023.
5: Darrell Revis, 1st round, 2007
Inducted alongside Klecko into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Revis far exceeded the hype as a 14th overall pick, becoming arguably the greatest player overall in franchise history.
The face of Rex Ryan’s shutdown defenses that reached consecutive AFC title games, Revis won four straight Pro Bowl selections with Gang Green, picked off 25 passes in eight years in New York, and then painfully won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2014.