New York moved from No. 76 to No. 71 on April 30, 2021,…
New York moved from No. 76 to No. 71 on April 30, 2021, sending Denver picks No. 76 and No. 164 to draft UCF cornerback Aaron Robinson. Robinson appeared in 11 games for the Giants across 2021-22, recording 28 tackles and four passes defended before injuries derailed his tenure. The trade-up therefore produced only a brief defensive contribution from a third-round selection.
Denver Broncos Received
- pick 2021 third round pick (#76, later traded to New Orleans for #98 Quinn Meinerz and #105 Baron Browning )
- pick 2021 fifth round pick (#164- Jamar Johnson )
New York Giants Received
- pick 2021 third round pick (#71- Aaron Robinson )
Trade Analysis
The first correction is the date. The Giants-Broncos exchange occurred on April 30, 2021 during the third round of the NFL draft, not January 30. New York's official draft coverage says the Giants received No. 71 and sent Denver No. 76 plus the No. 164 fifth-rounder acquired from Chicago the previous night. The Giants used No. 71 on UCF cornerback Aaron Robinson. Denver's own draft history records the same transaction and also documents what happened next to the No. 76 pick.
Robinson's Giants career never developed into the role New York envisioned. NFL career records credit him with 11 games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, 28 tackles and four passes defended. He played nine games as a rookie and only two in 2022 before a knee injury ended his season. For a club that spent an extra fifth-round selection to move up five spots, that is a limited realized return, particularly because Robinson did not establish a long-term starting role or produce a takeaway during his Giants tenure.
Denver used No. 164 directly on Indiana safety Jamar Johnson, who appeared in three regular-season games as a rookie. Johnson himself did not become a meaningful long-term return. The decisive value came from No. 76. Broncos general manager George Paton moved that selection to New Orleans for picks No. 98 and No. 105, using them on Wisconsin-Whitewater guard Quinn Meinerz and Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning. Because Denver received those two picks solely in exchange for the No. 76 asset acquired from New York, their outcomes are directly traceable to this trade-down chain.
Meinerz became the centerpiece of the return. Denver's official player biography credits him with 73 starts in 79 regular-season games from 2021 through 2025, first-team AP All-Pro honors in both 2024 and 2025, a 2025 Pro Bowl selection, and team captaincy in 2024 and 2025. He remained Denver's starting right guard in 2026. That level of sustained line play would by itself create a large hindsight advantage over Robinson's 11-game Giants tenure.
Browning adds further value. NFL records show him playing 43 games for Denver from 2021 through the first five games of 2024, with 28 starts, 110 combined tackles, 9.5 sacks, six passes defended, an interception and two forced fumbles. Denver later traded him to Arizona during the 2024 season, preserving additional asset value beyond his on-field contribution. Taken together, Meinerz and Browning make this a decisive Broncos win despite Johnson's limited role. An A for Denver and D+ for New York reflects the exceptional return Denver created from moving down five spots.