The contestants for Super Bowl LVI are set — the Los Angeles Rams will face the surprising Cincinnati Bengals two weeks from now at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
For fans of the New York Giants, there will be a trio of familiar faces (and then a few other secondary names) in the game, including two of their former first-round picks.
The Bengals’ defense contains two former Giants’ draft picks — cornerback Eli Apple and lineman B.J. Hill — who came up big against the Chiefs in Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Hill intercepted a Patrick Mahomes pass deep in Kansas City territory in the third quarter that led to the games-tying score, and Apple made a touchdown-saving tackle stopping Tyreek Hill at the goal line to end the first half. The Bengals went on to win, 27-24, in overtime.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, former Giants superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is having a resurgence after a not-so-productive stop in Cleveland.
Beckham caught nine of his 11 targets for 113 yards in the Rams’ 20-17 over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.
Beckham was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2014 (No. 12 overall) out of LSU. After a record-setting five seasons in New York, Beckham was traded to the Browns in a blockbuster move after wearing out his welcome with some dubious behavior.
OBJ was released by Cleveland in November of this season and was immediately scooped up by the Rams, where he has regained his status as an elite offensive force.
Apple was the 10th overall selection out of Ohio State in 2016 — a horrible reach by the general manager Jerry Reese. After a contentious two and a quarter seasons with he Giants, they cut bait on Apple by trading him to new Orleans for a pair of draft picks. Apple moved onto Carolina two years later before landing in Cincinnati this season.
Hill was a third-round pick of the Giants in 2018 out of North Carolina State. After a solid rookie season in which he set a franchise rookie record for sacks (5.5), Hill saw his playing time drop off and he was traded to the Bengals before the start of this season in exchange for center Billy Price.
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