March 6, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
The 1940s were a complicated decade for the New York Giants and the NFL as a whole.
With World War II impacting rosters across the league, many players stepped away from football to serve in the military, making the draft far less predictable than it is today. Because of that, the Giants didn’t get much long-term production from their first-round selections during the decade.
One of the most notable names tied to the team was George Connor, whom the Giants selected in the first round of the 1946 NFL draft after the war ended. However, Connor never played a snap for New York. Instead, he chose to attend the University of Notre Dame before eventually beginning his NFL career with the Chicago Bears.
Connor went on to become one of the best linemen of his era, playing eight seasons and eventually earning a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With Connor never suiting up for the Giants, the most productive first-rounder from the decade ended up being halfback George Franck.
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Franck first played for New York in 1941 and later returned for stretches between 1945 and 1947. During his time with the Giants, he totaled 506 rushing yards, added 536 receiving yards, and scored eight total touchdowns — modest numbers by modern standards but enough to stand out among the team’s first-round picks of the decade.
Before arriving in the NFL, Franck was a star at the University of Minnesota. He played a key role on the school’s 1940 national championship run and earned All-American honors that same season while also being named First-Team All–Big Ten.
The 1940s weren’t a banner decade for Giants first-round picks, but in a time when the league, and the world, were dealing with far bigger events, even modest contributions helped keep the game moving forward.
