Dave Gettleman once selected defensive tackles with both his first- and second-round picks in the same NFL Draft.
He took devalued running backs Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley with top-10 picks in back-to-back years, albeit for different teams.
He has never traded down in making 54 picks over eight drafts as general manager of the Panthers (2013-17) and the Giants (2018-present).
So, yes, Gettleman marches to his own beat. Actually, he seems to enjoy defying popular opinion of what he should do.
How has it worked out? Here are Gettleman’s three best and three worst draft picks, taking into account production relative to the point in the Draft at which the selection was made:
Three best
1. OG Trai Turner, Panthers, 2014 third round
Nothing else comes close to this gem. While most of the NFL was hung up on Turner needing another year at LSU after just 20 starts, Gettleman saw enough. Turner didn’t allow a sack on more than 600 snaps as a rookie and then made the Pro Bowl in his final five seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Chargers.
2. CB James Bradberry, Panthers, 2016 second round
This is a win-win for Gettleman. Bradberry came NFL-ready from Samford to start 60 games over four seasons, and maintained enough trust in the GM who drafted him to choose the Giants when he reached free agency. Bradberry finished No. 3 in the NFL in passes defended and made his first Pro Bowl as a Giant in 2020.
James Bradberry warms up for a game against the Rams. Getty Images3. WR Darius Slayton, Giants, 2019 fifth round
Overshadowed in a run-first offense at Auburn, Slayton is Gettleman’s biggest steal in three drafts with the Giants. He is quarterback Daniel Jones’ favorite target, averaging 49 catches for 745 yards per season with 11 total touchdowns. Slayton has battled nagging injuries, but has the speed to be a perfect deep-threat complement to new No. 1 receiver Kenny Golladay.
Honorable mention: Barkley, McCaffrey, DT Kawaan Short, DT Dexter Lawrence.
Three worst
1. CB DeAndre Baker, Giants, 2019 first round
The Giants ignored red flags regarding Baker’s commitment and then watched him struggle to stay awake in meetings – let alone perform on the field – as a rookie. Baker was arrested on gun charges – a big jump from work-ethic concerns – and released after just one season, before the charges were dismissed and he got a second chance with the Chiefs. To make matters worse, the Giants made a 3-for-1 trade to move up and make Baker the first of eight cornerbacks picked in the first two rounds.
2. WR Kelvin Benjamin, Panthers, 2014 first round
The top four receivers already were off the board when Gettleman chose Benjamin at No. 27, ahead of future Pro Bowlers Davante Adams, Allen Robinson and Jarvis Landry. The injury-plagued Benjamin scored 18 touchdowns in 40 games for the Panthers before he was dumped in 2017 for a third-round draft pick. He last played in the league in 2018.
3. QB Kyle Lauletta, Giants, 2018 fourth round
Some teams believe in picking a quarterback every year. But the depth-strapped Giants just threw away this pick. As Davis Webb learned before Lauletta, Eli Manning’s successor was always going to be a first-round pick (Jones in 2019). Lauletta was 0-for-5 passing in one game and he was cut before his second season, beginning a journey of bouncing around practice squads.
“Honorable” mention: DT Vernon Butler, CB Sam Beal.
