Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowler, was the 207th player chosen in the 1993 draft, and the last of the Giants' seven selections (the first-round pick had been used on quarterback Dave Brown in the previous year's supplemental draft). Three of the seven players taken were linebackers: Marcus Buckley (No. 66) and Tommy Thigpen (No. 123), who never did much, and Armstead, who did it all. Armstead's draft was the last that had an eighth round. He was a special teams dynamo and top -flight reserve his first three seasons before becoming the starting weakside linebacker in 1996. Armstead had a team-high 114 tackles, the first of five consecutive seasons with a more than 100. The next year, he had a career-best 134 stops, was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was a catalyst as the Giants won the NFC East title. In 2000 he had one of his best seasons and the Giants routed Minnesota, 41-0, in the NFC Championship Game.

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