The New York Giants are a National Football League (NFL) franchise founded in the 1925 season, the NFL's sixth.Whittingham, p. 3. Eleven years later, the league introduced the NFL Draft after team owners voted on it in 1935. The intention of the draft was to make the NFL more competitive, as a few stronger teams, including the Giants, had an advantage in signing young players because they were able to offer higher salaries and an opportunity to compete for championships.MacCambridge, pp. 43–44. Since that first draft, the Giants have selected 88 players in the first round. The team's first-round pick in the inaugural NFL Draft was Art Lewis, a tackle from Ohio University; he was the 9th overall selection. In the most recent draft, held in 2026, the Giants chose Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and University of Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

Officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting", but more often called the NFL Draft, the event is the NFL's primary mechanism for distributing newly professional players finished with their college football careers to its teams. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable, and players or other picks can be acquired with them.

Of the 88 players drafted by the Giants in the first round, 27 played at one of the running back positions. Of these, 10 were halfbacks and six were fullbacks, and the remaining 11 are credited as backs, blocking backs, or running backs. Among other frequently drafted positions, the Giants have chosen 11 offensive tackles, eight defensive backs, eight defensive ends, seven wide receivers, six quarterbacks, five defensive tackles, and five linebackers. The Giants have selected five first-round picks who have attended the University of Notre Dame and the University of Miami, more than any other school. Ohio State has had the third-most with four players selected. The Giants have held the first overall pick twice, in 1951 and 1965, selecting Kyle Rote and Tucker Frederickson. Three of the team's first-round picks—George Connor, Frank Gifford, and Lawrence Taylor—have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Giants did not draft a player in the first round on 11 occasions. Two of those picks, for the 1967 and 1968 drafts, were traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1967 as part of a deal for quarterback Fran Tarkenton.Whittingham, p. 145. During the 1974 season, the Giants dealt their 1975 first-round choice to the Dallas Cowboys for another quarterback, Craig Morton.Whittingham, pp. 166–168. In another case when the Giants used first-round draft picks to trade for a quarterback, the team acquired 2004 first overall pick Eli Manning from the San Diego Chargers, in a deal that included their 2004 and 2005 first-round picks; the Giants had already selected Philip Rivers with the 2004 pick, the fourth in that year's draft. The Giants used multiple first-round selections in 1951, 1972, 1984, 2019, 2022, 2025, and 2026; in the second instance; they gained a selection by trading Tarkenton back to the Vikings.

Key +Table key B Back K Kicker NT Nose tackle C Center LB Linebacker FB Fullback DB Defensive back P Punter HB Halfback DE Defensive end QB Quarterback WR Wide receiver DT Defensive tackle RB Running back G Guard E End T Offensive tackle TE Tight end^Indicates the player was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.—The Giants did not draft a player in the first round that year.YearEach year links to an article about that particular NFL Draft.PickIndicates the number of the pick within the first roundPositionIndicates the position of the player in the NFLCollegeThe player's college football team

Player selections

+New York Giants first-round draft picksYearPickPlayer namePositionCollegeNotes 1936 9 Tackle Ohio 1937 4 Tackle Minnesota 1938 8 Fullback Gonzaga 1939 10 Fullback Arizona 1940 10 Halfback USC 1941 6 Halfback Minnesota 1942 8 Fullback Ole Miss 1943 6 Fullback Fordham 1944 6 Halfback Indiana 1945 10 Blocking back Wake Forest 1946 5 Tackle Notre Dame 1947 10 Halfback Northwestern 1948 2 Halfback Pennsylvania 1949 4 Halfback SMU 1950 7 Quarterback Auburn 1951 1 End SMU 1951 13 Fullback Oklahoma State 1952 11 Halfback USC 1953 8 Back Alabama 1954 — — — — 1955 8 Halfback Notre Dame 1956 — — — — 1957 — — — — 1958 12 Halfback Vanderbilt 1959 10 Quarterback Utah 1960 12 Defensive tackle Clemson 1961 — — — — 1962 13 Linebacker Colorado 1963 — — — — 1964 12 Halfback Oklahoma 1965 1 Running back Auburn 1966 10 Tackle Missouri 1967 — — — — 1968 — — — — 1969 13 Defensive end San Diego State Dillman, p. 20. 1970 13 Linebacker Oklahoma Dillman, p. 24. 1971 18 Running back West Texas A&M 1972 17 Defensive back Texas A&M–Kingsville 1972 24 Defensive tackle Nebraska 1973 — — — — 1974 3 Guard Ohio State Dillman, p. 40. 1975 — — — — 1976 13 Defensive tackle Colorado Dillman, p. 48. 1977 5 Defensive end USC Dillman, p. 52. 1978 10 Tackle Stanford 1979 7 Quarterback Morehead State Dillman, p. 60. 1980 8 Defensive back Colorado Dillman, p. 64. 1981 2 Linebacker North Carolina Dillman, p. 68. 1982 18 Running back Michigan Dillman, p. 72. 1983 10 Defensive back Clemson Dillman, p. 76. 1984 3 Linebacker Michigan State 1984 27 Guard Ohio State Dillman, p. 80. 1985 19 Running back Kentucky 1986 19 Defensive end Notre Dame Dillman, p. 88. 1987 28 Wide receiver Michigan State Dillman, p. 92. 1988 10 Guard Indiana Dillman, p. 96. 1989 18 Center Minnesota Dillman, p. 100. 1990 24 Running back Georgia 1991 27 Fullback Michigan 1992 14 Tight end Notre Dame 1993 — — — — 1994 24 Wide receiver Indiana 1995 17 Running back Michigan 1996 5 Defensive end Oklahoma 1997 7 Wide receiver Florida 1998 24 Defensive back UCLA 1999 19 Tackle Notre Dame 2000 11 Running back Wisconsin 2001 22 Defensive back Syracuse 2002 14 Tight end Miami (Florida) 2003 25 Defensive tackle Miami (Florida) 2004 4 Quarterback NC State 2005 — — — — 2006 32 Defensive end Boston College 2007 20 Defensive back Texas 2008 31 Defensive back Miami (Florida) 2009 29 Wide receiver North Carolina 2010 15 Defensive end South Florida 2011 19 Defensive back Nebraska 2012 32 Running back Virginia Tech 2013 19 Tackle Syracuse 2014 12 Wide receiver LSU 2015 9 Tackle Miami (Florida) 2016 10 Cornerback Ohio State 2017 23 Tight end Mississippi 2018 2 Running back Penn State 2019 6 Quarterback Duke 2019 17 Defensive tackle Clemson 2019 30 Cornerback Georgia 2020 4 Tackle Georgia 2021 20 Wide receiver Florida 2022 5 Defensive end Oregon 2022 7 Tackle Alabama 2023 24 Cornerback Maryland 2024 6 Wide receiver LSU 2025 3 Defensive end Penn State 2025 25 Quarterback Ole Miss 2026 5 Linebacker Ohio State 2026 10 Offensive tackle Miami (Florida)

Notes From 1947 to 1958, the NFL held an annual lottery that decided which team would select first overall in the draft with a "bonus pick". The Giants won the bonus lottery in 1951, giving them the first choice in that year's draft. The 1951 draft was the second in which Spavital was selected. The Chicago Cardinals had chosen him in the first round of the 1948 draft. Spavital was one of 28 Baltimore Colts players who became eligible for the 1951 draft when that franchise became defunct. The Giants traded their 1954 first-round draft pick to the Green Bay Packers.New York Football Giants 2017 Information Guide, p. 329. The Giants traded their 1956 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams. In 1956, the Giants traded their 1957 first-round draft pick to the Rams in exchange for defensive end Andy Robustelli.Cavanaugh, pp. 9–10. In 1959, the Giants traded their 1961 first-round draft pick to the Baltimore Colts in exchange for quarterback George Shaw.Maxymuk, p. 23.New York Football Giants 2017 Information Guide, p. 330.Cavanaugh, p. 188. The Colts later traded the selection to the San Francisco 49ers for end Dee Mackey. In 1961, the Giants acquired a second 1962 first-round draft pick from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for George Shaw, then traded the selection to the Rams for wide receiver Del Shofner.Huff, p. 127. In 1962, the Giants traded their 1963 first-round draft pick to the St. Louis Cardinals, along with Bill Triplett, in exchange for quarterback Ralph Guglielmi. The Giants were awarded the first overall pick in 1967 or 1968 as compensation for the New York Jets joining the NFL as part of the league's merger with the American Football League. The choice was conditional upon the Giants selecting a quarterback; the team was allowed to trade the pick, if they received a starting quarterback in return.MacCambridge, p. 224. In 1967, the Giants traded their 1967 and 1968 first-round draft picks, their 1967 second-round pick, and a player to be named later to the Vikings in exchange for quarterback Fran Tarkenton. The New Orleans Saints were ultimately given the first overall pick in 1967 (before trading it to the Colts), dropping the Giants' former selection to second. In 1971, the Giants traded their original 1972 first-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for center Bob Hyland and cornerback Bennie McRae. This pick was acquired from the Vikings, along with running back Vince Clements, center Bob Grim, quarterback Norm Snead, and a second-round pick in the 1973 draft, in exchange for Tarkenton. In 1972, the Giants traded their 1973 first- and second-round draft picks to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for defensive end Jack Gregory and defensive back Freddie Summers. In 1974, the Giants traded their 1975 first-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for quarterback Craig Morton. This pick was acquired from the Washington Redskins in exchange for second- and fifth-round draft picks. The Giants selected quarterback Dave Brown in the first round of the 1992 supplemental draft, and as a result forfeited their 1993 first-round draft pick. During the 2001 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for their original first-round selection (30th in the draft) and picks in rounds three and six. During the 2002 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for their original first-round selection (15th in the draft) and a fourth-round pick. After drafting Rivers, the Giants traded him to the San Diego Chargers, along with their 2004 third-round pick and 2005 first- and fifth-round choice, in exchange for quarterback Eli Manning, the first overall pick. During the 2006 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with third- and fourth-round selections, in exchange for their original first-round choice (25th in the draft). This pick was acquired from the Browns, along with safety Jabrill Peppers and a third-round draft pick, in exchange for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. During the 2019 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for three draft picks. During the 2021 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Bears, along with a fifth-round selection and 2022 first- and fourth-round picks, in exchange for their original first-round choice (11th in the draft). This pick was acquired from the Bears in the teams' 2021 trade. During the 2023 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for their original first-round selection (25th in the draft) and fifth- and seventh-round picks. During the 2025 draft, the Giants acquired this pick from the Houston Texans in exchange for their second- and third-round selections (34th and 99th overall) and a 2026 third-round selection. This pick was acquired from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

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