Ranking the Giants' 10 Worst Draft Picks of the Last Decade

5. Kadarius Toney

The Giants went into the 2021 draft eager to select a wide receiver. The draft class was loaded with premiere wideouts and the last time New York had a 1,000-yard pass catcher was Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018.

After seeing Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle go off the board, it seemed like 2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith was destined for the Big Apple. That was until the Eagles traded up one spot in front of the Giants and stole Smith from their division rivals. With the consensus top receivers now unavailable, the Giants decided to trade back. In doing so, they passed up on Micah Parsons, now a perennial All-Pro linebacker for the Cowboys.

With the 20th pick, the Giants fulfilled their need at wide receiver by selecting Kadarius Toney.

In the beginning, it looked like Toney had the potential to be a game-changing receiver. He put up 189 yards against the Cowboys in his fourth career game, but this proved to be the peak of his time with the Giants. Injuries and a contentious relationship with the fans forced the Giants to trade Toney to the Chiefs less than two years after drafting him. Toney is now a pariah in New York and Kansas City thanks to his propensity for dropping balls and calling out Giants fans days before Super Bowl LVIII.

4. Evan Neal

The most recent pick on this list, Evan Neal has had a rough start to his career, to say the least. Taken with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Neal has given up 9 sacks over his first 20 games. After struggling mightily during his rookie season, many hoped Neal would bounce back in Year 2. After all, fellow offensive tackle Andrew Thomas gave up 10 sacks his rookie season and became a Second Team All-Pro two years later.

Nonetheless, Neal did not improve and ended up missing most of the 2023 season due to injury. On top of poor play on the field, Neal worsened his reputation off the field by verbally attacking and insulting fans. There's still time left for Neal to turn his career around, but with the Giants signing right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor this offseason, the writing might be on the wall for Neal.

3. Eli Apple

There are a lot of similarities between the 2016 draft and 2021 draft for the Giants. It was well known that the G-Men were interested in drafting either Leonard Floyd or Jack Conklin with the No. 10 overall pick in 2016. However, both of those players were selected right before the Giants went on the clock, just like DeVonta Smith in 2021.

As a result, then-general manager Jerry Reese had to adjust on the fly by selecting Eli Apple. Like Kadarius Toney (who was drafted in 2021), Apple had a promising start to his career before being traded due to character issues. Apple recorded his lone interception in New York during his rookie season. By his second season, his teammates referred to him as ' a cancer.' Before long, Apple was on his way to the Saints and all the Giants got in return for the former top-10 pick was a fourth- and seventh-round pick.