Commentary

No. 6: Giants' best draft class

LT headlines strong defensive drafting

Originally Published: March 30, 2009
By ESPN Stats & Information | Special to Insider

ESPN Stats and Information has ranked all NFL players drafted in the modern draft (1967-2008) based on their performance during their NFL careers -- regardless of how they fared with the team that drafted them. Insider will count down each team's best draft class (seeded 1-32), then conduct a tournament to determine the best class of all time.

For a short explanation of the ranking system, click here, or, for a more detailed rundown of how the system was developed, click here.

The 1981 Giants try to defeat the 1990 Packers -- Vote now!

GIANTS' BEST CLASS: 1981

The New York Giants' draft history can best be described as up-and-down. They have had numerous first-round busts on the offensive side of the ball, including the memorable running backs Rocky Thompson (1971), Butch Woolfolk (1982), George Adams (1985), Jarrod Bunch (1991) and Ron Dayne (2000). They have been much more successful on the defensive side of the ball, where they have drafted two Hall of Famers as well as numerous contributors to their four Super Bowl teams. Their best draft class according to ESPN Stats and Information is the 1981 draft, thanks to an outside linebacker by the name of Lawrence Taylor.


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