Study: New York Giants 31st in draft efficiency over past five years

It is easy to say anecdotally that the New York Giants have not drafted well in recent years. Is that claim accurate? According to a league-wide study of the last five drafts by the New York Post, the answer is a resounding "yes." In that study, the Giants rank 31st among the NFL's 32 teams in terms of production from their drafted players.

The only team that fared worse than the Giants over the past five years, per the Post? The Detroit Lions. Here is the Posts's summary for the Giants:

Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Odell Beckham Jr. -- 2014, first round
Worst Pick: Marvin Austin -- 2011, second round

Reese’s failings were well detailed last season when the Giants fell apart. Beckham looks set to have an amazing career, but other than him they have failed to find any impact players. Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg are solid pieces, but they got next to nothing out of the 2011 and ’12 drafts.

Here is the Post's explanation for how the rankings were compiled:

The rankings were based on: how many games the player actually played, Pro Bowl appearances, first team All-Pro selections, and awards like MVP and Rookie of the Year. We also factored in how much the team has won during the five years, since players tend to play quicker for losing teams.

This, of course, isn't entirely new information. It does, however, provide a broader reference for a subject we looked at several months ago.

Remember at the end of the 2015 season when GM Jerry Reese, questioned about supposedly poor late-round draft choices, challenged reporters to prove that those picks have not measured up in recent years? Big Blue View took that challenge and showed that from 2010-2014 only two of the 17 players selected from Rounds 4 to 7 had performed at or above the league average for their draft position.

It is no wonder that co-owner John Mara, after replacing a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and spending an unfathomable amount of money in free agency, is demanding better results from the 2016 NFL Draft.

"Every draft is important, but I would say this one moreso than usual," Mara said. "Because we're picking so high, and because we're coming off of three-and-a-half losing years.

"It's time to pick it up. We spent all this money in free agency, and we got better. But we're still not there, and we need some impact players."