Since 2001, the Giants sit atop the NFC East with with 10 players drafted who have made an apperance at the Pro Bowl. Meanwhile, the Eagles place second in that category with seven, followed by the last place Washington Redskins with three.
The Cowboys lead the division in terms of combined selections by draftees at 30, with the bulk going to tight end Jason Witten, who has made seven since being drafted in 2003. The Giants have 19 and are led by another tight end, 2004 pick Jeremy Shockey, whose four selections all came during his tenure in New York. Philadelphia ranked third with 14, and the Redskins are in last with six.
The 2004 draft was one of the highest-profile drafts for now-retired former General Manager Ernie Accorsi, who traded first rounder Phillip Rivers for Eli Manning, the No. 1 overall pick. Accorsi was also responsible for drafting Pro Bowlers David Diehl (2003), Osi Umenyiora ('03) Chris Snee ('04) and Justin Tuck ('05) while selecting Brandon Jacobs ('05) and Mathias Kiwanuka ('06).
However, 2004 was rivaled three years later during current GM Jerry Reese's first go-around leading up to the Super Bowl-winning season.
In 2007, almost all of Reese's draft choices contributed immediately, including Kevin Boss, Aaron Ross, Jay Alford, Steve Smith, Michael Johnson, Zak DeOssie and Ahmad Bradshaw.
"We are looking for good players," Reese said of his philosophy before the 2010 draft. "If we can hit home runs, that's good. If we can get a double, that's good. If we can get a single - we just want to get on base in the draft. We don't want to have a bunch of strikeouts. It is tough when you have a bunch of strikeouts."
A 2009 Forbes.com article broke down the "Best and Worst NFL Draft Teams" in terms of percentage of players from the previous three draft classes (2006-08) who were still listed as active members of the team. Extra weight was given to players who had made the Associated Press' All-Pro first and second teams. Big Blue, which held onto 90 percent of its picks, ranked third behind the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.
More recently, this seems to be the case too. In fact, at least one player drafted in each of the last eight years made a start in 2010.
TE Jeremy Shockey
Draft: 2002 Round: 1 Pick: 14
Pro Bowls: 4 (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
Stats with Giants: 371 rec, 4,228 yds, 27 TDs (83 games played)
DE Osi Umenyiora
Draft: 2003 Round: 2 Pick: 56
Pro Bowls: 2 (2005, 2007)
Stats with Giants: 308 tackles, 60.0 sacks, 28 FF (104 games)
OT David Diehl
Draft: 2003 Round: 5 Pick: 160
Pro Bowls: 1 (2009)
Stats with Giants: 124 games started
WR/ST David Tyree
Draft: 2003 Round: 6 Pick: 211
Pro Bowls: 1 (2005)
Stats with Giants: 54 rec, 650 yds, 4 TDs, 77 tackles (83 games played)
G Chris Snee
Draft: 2004 Round: 2 Pick: 34
Pro Bowls: 3 (2008-10)
Stats with Giants: 107 games started
QB Phillip Rivers
Draft: 2004 Round: 1 Pick: 4
Pro Bowls: 3 (Traded for QB Eli Manning on draft day)
DE Justin Tuck
Draft: 2005 Round: 3 Pick: 74
Pro Bowls: 2 (2008, 2010)
Stats with Giants: 308 tackles, 40.5 sacks, 17 FF (84 games played)
WR Steve Smith
Draft: 2007 Round: 2 Pick: 51
Pro Bowls: 1 (2009)
Stats with Giants: 220 rec, 2,386 yds, 11 TDs (46 games played)
TE Kevin Boss
Draft: 2007 Round: 5 Pick: 153
Pro Bowls: 1 (2008 1st Alternate)
Stats with Giants: 119 rec, 1,600 yds, 18 TDs (58 games played)
LS Zak DeOssie
Draft: 2007 Round: 4 Pick: 116
Pro Bowls: 2 (2008, 2010)
Stats with Giants: Played in all 64 games
