Heart of a Giant Award winner meets NY Giants’ Dexter Lawrence
Old Tappan football player accepts Heart of a Giant Award and Super Bowl LX tickets, meets Giants lineman Dexter Lawrence.
The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, both with 2-13 records, are competing for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.The Giants have never held the No. 1 overall pick in the modern NFL Draft era.A past game dubbed the “Chase Young Bowl” shows how winning a seemingly meaningless game can alter a franchise’s draft future.Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is considered a potential top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The New York Giants have not owned the No. 1 overall pick in the modern NFL Draft, but that could change over these next two games.
And the Giants have been this close to claiming the ultimate draft prize before.
Just last year, in fact, they were in position to claim the No. 1 pick heading into Week 17. They had lost 10 straight games before stunning the Indianapolis Colts with a rousing 45-33 victory in which Drew Lock played like Peyton Manning and Malik Nabers turned in an All-Pro worthy effort.
Because of that, the Giants tumbled behind the Titans and the Browns, and not only drafted Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick, they traded back into the first round and selected Jaxson Dart at No. 25.
The Giants (2-13) continue to own the No. 1 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon.com, which projects the order based on standings and strength of schedule (SOS). But the Raiders (2-13) are right on their heels, which establishes quite the storyline with the two teams vying for No. 1 meeting in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.
This matchup should go a long way in determining who lands the No. 1 pick given the circumstances.
The Giants’ fan base has gotten plenty familiar with the duality of living a not-so-charmed life in the NFL’s basement. The losing is difficult to stomach, but the more losing a team does, the better its draft positioning gets.
Of course, that’s not always how things play out.
Six years ago, Andrew Thomas had already turned his focus to the 2020 NFL Draft, deciding he had played his last college game for the University of Georgia by opting out of the Sugar Bowl.
Just about everyone else expected the Giants and Washington to be doing the same when they met at FedEx Field in the game commonly billed as the “Chase Young Bowl,” which at the time would ultimately be remembered for determining the future of a player who was nowhere near the stadium.
The outcome – Giants 41, Washington 35, in overtime – actually determined the future of two players.
The Giants were immediately branded draft losers because they won the Chase Young Bowl, but they landed Thomas – so who really won? That was a game to determine which of the NFC East rivals would lose and ultimately get the higher draft pick – insignificant in the standings – with the opportunity to select Young, who was considered a generational pass rusher and the best player on every team’s board after Joe Burrow.
That result dropped Big Blue to fourth, allowing Washington to move up to No. 2, where four months later they welcomed Young into the fold. He was traded before the end of his rookie contract, while Thomas is under contract with the Giants until 2029.
Six seasons later, it’s completely fair to ask a question that, at one point, seemed outrageous, yet not so much anymore: Did the Giants actually win the Chase Young Bowl twice with what they ended up getting as a consolation prize?
Because Thomas is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, emerging as a cornerstone within the Giants’ offense. Washington shipped Young out of town.
The Chase Young Bowl did teach us a lesson in NFL tanking. Whether that changes how you view the Giants-Raiders game today any differently is a matter of perspective.
And when teams lose like the Giants have this year, it’s a lot easier to root for draft position than a result that can change the course of a franchise months later.
What’s in the best interest of the Giants?
If the Andrew Thomas Bowl taught us anything, it’s that we just don’t know for sure.
Who is the potential No. 1 draft pick in 2026?
With the way Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has performed in leading the No. 1 Hoosiers into the College Football Playoffs, it’s believed that the Heisman Trophy winner will be the sought-after prospect by teams such as the Jets and the Raiders who are expected to be in the market for a QB.
That could bring the Giants a significant haul of draft assets if they stay at No. 1 and look to deal the pick.
How many times have NY Giants had No. 1 draft pick?
The Giants have held the first overall pick twice in franchise history: in 1951 (Kyle Rote) and 1965 (Tucker Frederickson), but that was prior to the common draft post the league’s 1970 merger.
Here’s a look at the top of the projected draft order with the Giants in the lead with the Raiders, the Browns, the Titans and the Jets all within a game of No. 1:
NY Giants (2-13) remaining scheduleSunday at Las Vegas Raiders (2-13), Allegiant StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 vs. Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1), MetLife StadiumLas Vegas Raiders (2-13) remaining scheduleSunday vs. Giants (2-13), Allegiant StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs (6-10), Allegiant StadiumSunday vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6), Huntington Bank FieldSunday, Jan. 4 at Cincinnati Bengals (5-10), Paycor StadiumNew York Jets (3-12) remaining scheduleSunday vs. New England Patriots (12-3), MetLife StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 at Buffalo Bills (11-4), Highmark StadiumSunday vs. New Orleans Saints (5-10), Nissan StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 at Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4), EverBank Stadium2026 NFL Draft order
Here’s the current 2026 NFL Draft order, projected by Tankathon.com:
New York Giants (2-13)Las Vegas Raiders (2-13)Cleveland Browns (3-12)New York Jets (3-12)Tennessee Titans (3-12)Arizona Cardinals (3-12)Washington Commanders (4-12)New Orleans Saints (5-10)Cincinnati Bengals (5-10)Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)Miami Dolphins (6-9)Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)Baltimore Ravens (7-8)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)Detroit Lions (8-8)Minnesota Vikings (8-8)New York Jets (via Colts)Carolina Panthers (8-7)Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)Houston Texans (10-5)Buffalo Bills (11-4)Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)San Francisco 49ers (11-4)Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)Los Angeles Rams (11-4)Chicago Bears (11-4)New England Patriots (12-3)Seattle Seahawks (12-3)Denver Broncos (13-3)