You know what I discovered in trying to put together a list of the 10 worst No. 1 draft picks by the New York Giants since 1960? I discovered that it actually is not easy to pare the list of guys who didn't measure up to their lofty draft position to just 10.
You know what else I realized in doing this? The last real "bust" of a No. 1 pick the Giants had was way back in 2003, when they made the unfortunate decision to select defensive tackle William Joseph of Miami with the 25th overall pick. Willie Jo will be on our list eventually, but he isn't No. 10 on the list, which is where we will start. Aaron Ross hasn't been the impact player the Giants hoped for, but I don't think he is in the "bust" category, either.
Anyway, let's get on with our list, starting from No. 10. These are very subjective and when we are done with the list you will have plenty of opportunity to let me know who you believe I left off. Here goes. No. 10 on my list after the jump.
No. 10 ... Eldridge Small and Larry Jacobson (1972)
A double dip for first spot on this list of worst No. 1 picks by the Giants since 1960. Coming off a 4-10 1971 season the Giants had two first-round picks that season, thus an opportunity to help turn around a team that had fallen on hard times. They chose Small, a defensive back from Texas A&I, with the 17th pick. Jacobson, a defensive tackle from Nebraska, was taken 24th.
Both players lasted just three seasons with the Giants and were out of football by 1975. Jacobson started as a rookie, but a series of injuries curtailed his career . Small had one interception in three seasons, and did some kick returning. The Giants went 8-6 in 1972, but then had eight consecutive losing seasons.
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[NOTE: Yes, this series of posts is 'sponsored.' Meaning, yours truly makes a little extra scratch from them. These should abe entertaining, however, and create some fun debate. We will follow this list of the 10 worst picks with a list of the 10 best selections of the first round.]