March 18, 2026, 8:01 a.m. ET
The New York Giants selected wide receiver Sterling Shepard with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Shepard played eight seasons with the Giants from 2016 to 2023. He was a significant piece in New York’s rebuilding process early in his career.
The Oklahoma product recorded 4,095 receiving yards as a member of the Giants. He posted a career-high 872 yards in 2018, though he had only two seasons with 700 or more receiving yards during his tenure with the team.
Shepard did have several seasons of note with the Giants. However, here are some of the players the franchise had the opportunity to select at No. 40 in that year’s draft, including Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
Henry won the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award in 2020. The Alabama product has one first-team All-Pro selection and one second-team honor. He ranks No. 10 on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list with 13,018 yards. The seven-time 1,000-yard rusher posted 2,027 yards in 2020 with the Titans.
Honorable mention: WR Michael Thomas (UFA)No. 47 overall pick – New Orleans Saints
New York also had the chance to select Thomas in the second round. The New Orleans Saints remained perennial Super Bowl contenders with Thomas as their primary wide receiver for several years. The Ohio State product recorded 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first four NFL seasons. He posted 1,405 yards in 2018 with an 85 percent catch rate. Thomas is the NFL’s all-time leader in career receiving success rate at 66.4 percent.
Honorable mention: WR Tyreek Hill (UFA)No. 165 overall pick – Kansas City Chiefs
Hill was also available for the Giants to select later in the draft. The Georgia native has reached 1,000 receiving yards six times in his career. He is a former Super Bowl champion and a five-time first-team All-Pro honoree. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2023 with 1,799 and in receiving touchdowns with 13.
