Michael Strahan: second round. Harry Carson: fourth. Roosevelt Brown: 27th.
These members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame highlight the best value picks in New York Giants history.
They wear gold jackets because they proved it's not the round and number in the draft order that define careers. The only thing that mattered was what they did once they put on the uniform.
While those are best-case scenarios, hidden gems are seen every Sunday in the NFL. They can make good teams great, and for an organization trying to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2011, the Giants hope they found some this past weekend.
Based on early gut reactions by analysts, they may have done so.
Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated named the top steals of the 2015 NFL Draft, which concluded Saturday in Chicago. His list led off with All-American safety Landon Collins out of Alabama, whom the Giants traded up to select with the first pick of the second round.
"Sure, this was the opening pick on Day 2, and New York had to trade up to make it," Burke wrote. "But Collins was arguably the top player at his position this year—many had him ahead of Round 1 selection Damarious Randall—and there was a significant safety drop-off behind him.
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"This also was not merely a best-player-available move by the Giants. They had a noticeable void at safety, so Collins slots in as an immediate starter."
Big Blue's steals didn't end there.
Burke also mentioned defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa, the Giants' third-round pick from UCLA.
"The best draft picks occur when a team's need matches up with value on the board," Burke wrote. "That's what happened here for New York in landing the run-stuffing Odighizuwa. He'll need some time to find a consistent pass-rushing approach, but the Giants still have Jason Pierre-Paul, Robert Ayers and others to handle the heavy lifting there."
