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The New York Giants have made some questionable picks in the NFL Draft over the last few years. Naturally, with the 2020 draft just eight days away, it makes us look at some of the worst picks in the history of the franchise.
The Giants are one of the best franchises in NFL history. They have a reputation of being well-run and that includes the draft. New York has drafted players like Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber. Eli Manning could also be mentioned since he was immediately traded to the Giants after being selected first overall by the San Diego Chargers and subsequently led the team to two Super Bowl victories.
No franchise is perfect. The Giants have missed on many players in recent memory like Ereck Flowers, Eli Apple and David Wilson. Here are the five biggest draft busts in franchise history.
5. Ron Dayne, RB
Dayne left Wisconsin in 1999 as the Heisman Trophy winner. The Giants opted to take him with the 11th overall pick in the 2000 draft. He never turned into the running back they thought they were getting.
Dayne spent four years in New York. He totaled 2,067 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in those years. He never topped 770 yards in a season and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. The Seattle Seahawks were the next team to take a running back at No. 19 and they used it on Shaun Alexander.
4. Dave Brown, QB
The Giants used their first round pick in the 1992 supplemental draft on this Duke quarterback. This would cost them their top selection the following year. Brown started 53 games in six years for the Giants.
In those six seasons, Brown was 23-30. He threw for 40 touchdowns and 49 interceptions. Brown not only was a huge bust, but he cost the Giants a top pick in 1993 and is arguably the worst quarterback in franchise history.
3. Joe Don Looney, RB
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There might be some recency bias here, with Looney landing at No. 3. Viewed as a generational talent, Looney never had his head on straight. He began his collegiate career at Texas where he flunked out. Looney then was kicked out of TCU and removed from the team at Oklahoma for allegedly punching an assistant coach. Despite all of this, the Giants still took the runner with the 12th overall pick in 1964.
Looney was immediately a headache for New York. He was fined many times for violating team rules such as dress code violations and not showing up to practice. Looney's time as a Giant lasted just 25 days before he was traded to the Baltimore Colts. Looney never even took a preseason snap for New York.
2. Derek Brown, TE
The 1992 draft was extremely weak for New York and Brown was a reason why. The Giants took the Notre Dame tight end with the 14th pick. Brown was 6-foot-6 and was viewed as an incredible athlete. If this was true, he never showed it in New York.
Brown lasted just three seasons with the Giants. In those years, he had just 11 catches for 87 yards. In 13 games in 1994, Brown did not record a catch. He would go on to play four more years with three teams. He caught the only touchdown of his career in 1997 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
1. Cedric Jones, DE
The Giants landed Michael Strahan in the second round of the draft, in 1993. Three years later, New York used the fifth overall pick on what they thought would be their second All-Pro pass rusher. This was not the case. Jones was legally blind in one eye and could only play on the right side of the formation.
Jones lasted five years in New York and did not play for another team. It was not until his third season that he recorded his first sack. This was one of just 15 in his career. Jones can be viewed as the biggest draft bust in Giants' history.
