New York Giants: 5 best draft picks of all-time

Sure, Philip Rivers, the quarterback selected 4th overall out of North Carolina State, never played a single snap for the Giants, but he was a huge part in helping the team make their most recent two Super Bowl runs.

With the San Diego Chargers owning the first overall selection in 2004, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning was the consensus top pick. Manning’s camp made it known that he wasn’t keen on heading to the Southern California team and one of the destinations he had his heart set on happened to be the Giants.

After an offseason full of discussions and rumors, the Chargers used their first overall selection on Eli and decided to use him as trade bait. The Giants then selected Rivers, a quarterback whom many felt had the chance to be the better player of the two.

The Giants were able to package Rivers and three other selections (3rd rounder in 2004, 1st rounder in 2005, and 5th rounder in 2005) to secure the rights to Manning.

At the time some believed this to be an overpayment as the Chargers were able to also obtain pass rusher Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding. However, the two Super Bowl rings won with Manning at the helm compared to the zero won by the Chargers could argue otherwise.

For his career, Manning has 44,187 yards with 294 touchdown passes. He is also regarded as one of the best clutch performers at his position. His performances in huge moments for the G-Men would have never been possible without the selection of Philip Rivers.

Next: No. 4