NFL

Jones pick burned Giants

At 35 years old, Cedric Jones could be putting the finishing touches on a 14-year career with the Giants as a solid, steady defensive end.

A long and prosperous stay was certainly envisioned when the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft selected Jones, who held every significant pass-rush record at Oklahoma. They intended him to be a bookend to go along with emerging Michael Strahan.

Jones, though, has not donned a Giants uniform in nine years, has not had a sniff of an NFL field in eight years and currently in his second year tutoring offensive linemen at Southern Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Bethany, Okla. It’s a far cry from the bright lights of the big city, but that’s where Jones — who once was rewarded with a team-record $6 million signing bonus — makes his living.

“He’s an excellent coach,” said Eric Michael, the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Storm. “He’s still a quiet guy but he’ll get these guys going. He’s still got that tenacity about him.”

The Giants rarely saw the tenacious side of Jones, a low-key, affable and almost gentle soul who never made it big with the Giants. He barely made it at all, lasting only five seasons and representing what can go so very wrong when scouting and player evaluations fail to deliver the goods.

Jones is not alone as far as first-round picks gone bad for the Giants, a franchise that still has Rocky Thompson (1971) ringing in its ears.

The decade of the ’90s was not a kind one, with running back Jarrod Bunch in 1991 and continuing with a ridiculously bad Brown-out daily double in 1992 of quarterback Dave Brown (supplemental pick) and tight end Derek Brown.

Who can forget receiver Thomas Lewis (1994) and pit-bull-loving running back Tyrone Wheatley in 1995?

After the Jones selection in 1996, the Giants didn’t exactly usher in the new millennium in style with Ron Dayne — it’s never good when a running back gets dubbed “No Gain” — followed closely in 2003 by defensive tackle William Joseph.

There was no rejoicing back in 1996 when with the fifth pick the Giants landed Jones, mainly because he was viewed as the fifth player in a top-heavy draft dominated by four upper-echelon prospects.

The Giants figured they would get either tackle Jonathan Ogden, defensive end Simeon Rice or linebacker Kevin Hardy, believing that running back Lawrence Phillips out of Nebraska would be one of the first four players off the board.

Phillips slipped to No. 6, though, foiling the Giants plans and forcing them to settle for Jones.

Still, there was certainly a pedigree. Jones was Oklahoma’s all-time sack leader with 31 ½ and held Sooners records for sacks in a game and a season.

It seemed as if Jones was stuck in the mud almost from the start. He starred at Oklahoma despite having limited vision in one eye — a problem the Giants weren’t entirely sure about prior to the draft — and as a rookie he almost immediately suffered eye and hamstring issues.

He was beaten out of a starting job by Chad Bratzke — an unheralded fifth-round pick two years earlier — and didn’t crack the lineup on a full-time basis until 1999, when he had his best season with 7 ½ sacks and five forced fumbles.

In 2000, he started every game but managed only three sacks for the NFC champions.

In March of 2001, he was deemed expendable and released soon after the Giants signed Kenny Holmes as a free agent.

At the time, coach Jim Fassel said, “I’ve been very pleased with Cedric’s development. I liked having Cedric on our team and our organization.”

Sure enough, everyone liked Jones but he made little impact on the field. He finished his Giants career with paltry total of 15 sacks, hung around the NFL with the Rams for one more season before leaving for good.

His college records and NFL experience help Jones in recruiting.

“Kids really trust him and believe what he’s saying,” Michael said. “Cedric tells them ‘If you’ve got the talent to play at the NFL level they’ll find you.’ ”

The Giants certainly found Jones, but he never found himself for them.

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paul.schwartz@nypost.com