The more Giants general manager Joe Schoen works his magic, the more the team will become a breeding ground for top NFL players.
When it comes to producing players that go on to have success with other NFL teams, the New York Giants rank among the league’s worst five.
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the Dallas Cowboys are now leading the league in terms of starting the careers of 82 NFL players. The Cowboys are followed by the Ravens (77), Vikings (75), 49ers (74) and Patriots (71).
What about the Giants? According to Fitzgerald, they are tied for third worst with the Jets (50 players). This is marginally better than the Panthers (39) and Steelers (47).
Not surprisingly, the Giants, Jets, Steelers, and Panthers have only had three playoff appearances since 2020, compared to eight for the top dogs.
The Giants’ ranking at the bottom of the league in this statistic is unsurprising given how hit-and-miss their drafts have been and how shaky some of their personnel decisions were before general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll arrived.
For example, very few players from other teams in the league began their careers with the Giants. Nick Gates (Commanders), defensive tackle B.J. Hill (Bengals), safety Julian Love (Seahawks), and receiver Kadarius Toney (Chiefs) are examples of indigenous talent that began their careers with the Giants.
Times are likely to change, however, because Schoen and Daoll have not only modernized how they form rosters, but the coaching staff has repeatedly demonstrated that it can bring out the best in players by maximizing its strengths and limiting its flaws.
Schoen, on the other hand, has been a model of restraint in free agency and trades, as seen by the small deals he made with linebacker Bobby Okereke and the trades that netted him defenders Isaiah Simmons for a seventh-round pick and Carlos “Boogie” Bahsam for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
With the draft classes, the Giants could be on their way to a higher ranking soon.
However, if the players Schoen is bringing in turn out to be all the team expected, the Giants will go to any length to keep their own homegrown talent, which is how a squad should be built.
Patricia Traina has been covering the New York Giants for various media outlets for over 30 years. She hosts the Locked On Giants podcast and wrote “The Big 50: New York Giants: The Men and Moments That Made the New York Giants” (Triumph Books, September 2020). See Patricia’s full bio.
Patricia Traina has been covering the New York Giants for various media outlets for over 30 years. She hosts the Locked On Giants podcast and wrote “The Big 50: New York Giants: The Men and Moments That Made the New York Giants” (Triumph Books, September 2020). See Patricia’s full bio.
