Justin Tuck
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

All New York Giants fans fondly remember the 2004 draft when Eli Manning came to town, but the following year is really when the Jints did legit damage. 

Ernie Accorsi started the era with the move to acquire Eli Manning during the 2004 NFL Draft.

The New York Giants also selected Chris Snee out of Boston College (34th overall) who would go onto to make four Pro Bowls and was a valuable player in the Giants two Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42 and 46.

Snee is also in the Giants ring of honor, a place Manning will be as well once he calls it a career.

Accorsi deserves a ton of credit for what he did in 2004 in acquiring the franchises’ best quarterback and drafting one of the best linemen in the team’s history, but what he did during the 2005 draft set the foundation for the two eventually Super Bowl teams.

Following the trade for Manning, the Giants only had four draft picks in 2005 since they gave up a 1st and 5th round pick. Three of those four picks would go onto having great Giants careers and key members of the Giants two Super Bowl teams.

Since it’s Throwback Thursday, the following is a look back at the Giants 2005 draft class.

Corey Webster 2nd Round (43rd overall) LSU

Webster would go on to play nine seasons with Big Blue, recording 372 tackles and 20 interceptions. After struggling through his first few seasons, he would become the Giants best cornerback during his tenure.

He made his biggest mark during the Giants two Super Bowl runs. In the 2007 postseason, he intercepted two passes including the memorable snag of Brett Favre in overtime of the conference championship game that set up a Lawrence Tynes game-winning 47-yard field goal.

Then in the 2011, he would have his best season, intercepting a career-high six passes and recorded 51 tackles. The Giants needed Webster to step up when fellow cornerback Terrell Thomas went down with a torn ACL in the preseason and he delivered in a big way.

Justin Tuck 3rd Round (74th overall) Notre Dame

Just like Webster, Tuck would play nine seasons with the Giants and would go onto become one of the best defensive players in the history of the franchise.

In his nine seasons with Big Blue he tallied 453 tackles, 60.5 sacks, and forced 20 fumbles.

Not only did his play inspire teammates, but his speeches did as well as he became the teams’ vocal leader following Michael Strahan’s retirement after the 2007 season.

He is most remembered for having his best games on the biggest stage. In the Giants two Super Bowl victories over the Patriots, he had nine tackles, four sacks, forced a fumble, and forced Tom Brady into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone that resulted in the first points of Super Bowl 46.

He made two Pro Bowl teams in 2008  and 2010, and would be inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor in 2016 alongside Accorsi and Tom Coughlin.

Brandon Jacobs 4th Round (110th overall) Southern Illinois

At 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Jacobs was a freak of nature at the running back position. Defensive backs shied away from tackling him due to intimidation as he provided the Giants a physical presence that they haven’t had prior to or since his time with the Giants.

In his eight seasons with Big Blue, he carried the ball 1,136 times for 5,087 yards and a franchise record 60 rushing touchdowns. He also piled up 82 receptions for 743 yards and four touchdowns.

He added five more scores during the postseason in the Giants two Super Bowl runs and established himself as one of the best mid-round draft picks in the history of the Giants.

Eric Moore, 6th Round (186th overall) Florida State

Moore is the lone draft pick from this class that didn’t make it big with the Giants. The former Florida State defensive end played just one season for the Giants where he had five tackles. The Giants released Moore prior to the start of the 2006 season.

When you strike gold on 75 percent of your draft picks it sets your franchise on a path to greatness. That’s what the Giants 2005 draft class did as without them, they don’t win two Super Bowls in the last decade.

Giants’ fans can only hope the new general manager Dave Gettleman can have similar success with the Giants 2018 draft class.

Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.