NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history

By Hans Themistode

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
25 of 33
Next
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor (Photo by MARK D. PHILLIPS / AFP) /

NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: New York Giants, LB Lawrence Taylor

Pick: 1981 NFL Draft, 1st round number 2 overall

Stats: 

  • 132.5 sacks
  • 1,088 tackles
  • 33 forced fumbles

Awards: 

  • 10 time Pro Bowler
  • Former league MVP
  • 3 time Defensive Player of the Year

When the greatest coach in the history of the NFL in Bill Belichick speaks, more times than not, everyone listens.

Having spent roughly a decade with linebacker Lawrence Taylor, Belichick saw firsthand just how great Taylor was each and every day. The New York Giants wasted no time in picking him up out of North Carolina with the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.

Belichick sat back and observed Taylor run through the league to pile up ridiculous numbers and accolades. He was named a Pro Bowler in his first year in the league and made the squad every year for a decade. He was also an eight-time First-Team All-Pro selection as well. Racking up a hundred tackles in a season was routine for Taylor and his 132.5 career sacks currently rank 14th all-time. Even more impressively is that sacks weren’t an official stat in Taylors first year in the league.

Let’s also not forget that he was a multiple-time Defensive Player of the Year.

For those wondering where two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning places, he’s off the list entirely. Originally, Manning was drafted by the San Diego Chargers before being traded on draft night to the Giants. Had the Giants drafted him outright, it still doesn’t guarantee that he would have been ranked above Taylor. The 1999 Hall of Famer was simply that good.

Home/NFL