WOODBURY – With the upcoming NFL draft Thursday night, NFL franchises who have barely had many wins over the past few seasons can build their rosters up and have long term success. If teams draft the right pieces, they can develop young athletes into generational talent and win games.
The New York Football Giants are a prime example of a team that can easily be turned around.
The Giants went 4-17 during the 2025 campaign, missing the playoff once again; they also went through many hardships like enduring their star rookie running back dislocating his ankle, the team’s star wide receiver tore his ACL and meniscus, and, to make matters worse, the Giants fired their head coach towards the end of the season. The issues didn’t end there as problems in the offensive line were glaring for last year’s team, and they had many 4th quarter collapses, including a 19-0 blown lead vs the Denver Broncos. Since the offseason has begun, they hired coach John Harbaugh, brought in a new staff, and filled missing pieces of the team during free agency. With the draft just days away, they can certainly build a competitive squad for the 2026 season.
The Giants currently hold the 5th pick.
“I would like to see them develop their lineman through the draft,” said Ryan Campanario, NHS wellness teacher who is a fan of the New York Football Giants. “(The draft) has definitely helped the team in the past. I am hoping that the most recent draft picks can play to their potential this season and everyone can stay healthy, which has been a difficult task in recent years.”
The Giants aren’t the only team that can benefit from the draft.
The team that shares MetLife stadium with the Giants, the New York Jets, have also faced many hardships this year. The Jets went 3-17 games last year and went through three starting quarterbacks. The Jets are widely considered one of the most cursed franchises of all time with a history of catastrophic injuries to their players, failed front office moves, and major heartbreaks over the past seasons. They currently have the longest playoff drought in professional sports. They are also historically bad at drafting. Some notable draft failures are QB Zach Wilson in 2021, DE Vernon Gholston in 2008, QB Christian Hackenberg in 2016, RB Blair Thomas in 1990, Calvin Pryor in 2014, and CB Dee Milliner in 2013.
The Jets currently hold the 2nd pick in the draft
“I would like to see the Jets draft Arvell Reese who I think is a monster at defense,” says Elliot Shugrue, NHS junior and New York Jets fan. “Recently, we’ve been awful and I’m hoping that the draft can turn that around this year.”
Although the Jets have made horrible mistakes over the years, they haven’t messed up every year.
“The draft has helped my team in recent years because we’ve drafted stars like in 2022 when we got Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall who are key pieces to our team, ”says Shugrue.
One final team that can benefit from the draft is the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since the year 2000, the longest drought in the whole league. Their last playoff appearance was a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023. During the past season Miami went 7-10 and missed the playoffs again. During the offseason they fired their head coach, cut their starting quarterback, cut their star wide receiver, traded away their wide receiver two, their edge rusher, and their safety. They replaced Tua Tagovailoa with a project quarterback in Malik Willis, but, even with all these losses, they could still bounce back with the draft.
Dolphins currently hold the 11th pick.
“The NFL draft has helped my favorite team (Miami Dolphins) by adding talent and project players to our roster, such as Devon Achane in the 2023 draft with the 84th overall selection,” says Adam Hart, NHS sophomore and Miami Dolphins fan. “Achane was expected to be a decent addition but not a blockbuster player, but he ended up as at least a top 3 rb this year.”
The Dolphins urgently need to fill their hole in the wide receiver room.
“I really hope to draft Mecki Lemon (WR from USC) because the Dolphins desperately need a good replacement for Hill and Waddle after losing both of them this offseason,” says Hart.
“As of recently, the Dolphins have been flashy but inconsistent,” says Hart. “They had an offense run by Mike McDaniel, who was known for his trick plays, and he loved speed, so he fully committed to it and left out strength. We were always a ‘high flying offense’ with a subpar defense, but we still managed to win games.”
