The 2026 NFL Draft has concluded, and with it, the New York Giants draft class is set. There were many good selections, and the Giants filled a variety of positional needs and secured important depth pieces that will be crucial in filling out the roster for the upcoming season. Let’s look at this draft class! We used these three pieces of criteria to rate the day-by-day draft grade for the Giants:
- How the player fits into the roster (versatility/scheme fit)
- What unique skills and talents does he bring?
- Did the Giants fill a need on the roster by drafting him?
These questions help us accurately evaluate the talent that the Giants have acquired throughout the draft. Starting from right after Super Bowl Sunday and leading up to the start of the first round, there are plenty of hot takes and mock drafts made by different analysts across the nation. If we really look past all of the hype and build-up, the real reason that the draft is so important is because of one thing: it gives losing teams the opportunity to acquire game-changing, top tier talent that can change the future of the franchise. So, for the Giants, who finished last season at 4-13, the draft is another opportunity to change the outlook during the start of the John Harbaugh era. Let’s get to it!
Day 1
Versatility/Scheme fit: 3/3
Skill/Talent: 4/4
Positional Need: 2.5/3
Day 1 Grade Total: 9.5/10
“With the 5th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select… Arvell Reese?” All of the buildup to the draft and the countless mock drafts that I did by myself could not have prepared me for the moment when we picked Arvell Reese, the inside linebacker/edge out of Ohio State. However, once I had time to process, it became clear that Reese will fit perfectly into the Giant’s defensive scheme that is led by Dennard Wilson, our defensive coordinator. John Harbaugh supported this by saying, “Arvell is a versatile player, and we’re going to play him at inside backer, Will linebacker…he’ll line up next to Tremaine (Edmunds), and he’ll be in the A gap, the B gap, the C gap, the D gap, off the edge…” Reese said during his interview as the draft was going on that he was told he would be used in many different, unique ways as a special weapon that could play anywhere on the field, and John Harbaugh confirmed this in his post-draft press conference. He is a high potential prospect with seemingly limitless upside. With otherworldly attributes and his hard hitting persona on the field, he is the essence of what John Harbaugh wants to bring to the Giants. He was also a great value pick, since there was almost no chance that he would fall to the fifth pick. However, he did, and the Giants were able to capitalize on that.
As for the second pick that we had on Day 1, we acquired it from the trade of Dexter Lawrence ll. With it, the Giants selected Francis Mauigoa, the offensive tackle out of Miami. He is another good fit, as John Harbaugh recently announced, “We’re going to put him inside at guard. He can certainly play tackle.” This fills another need as right guard was a big question coming into the draft and free agency. His mentality is also exactly what the Giants wanted to emphasize this offseason and desperately needed. When asked if he had a message for Jaxson Dart, he replied, “I’m ready to die for you, man!” That sets the standard for our rebuilding organization that is in dire need of tone-setters in the trenches. The only thing that was a problem for this pick was that Caleb Downs, the All-American safety from Ohio State, was still on the board when the Giants were due to make their selection. Safety was another high priority that we didn’t end up addressing during the draft. Will the Giants have buyer’s remorse in a couple of years if Downs flourishes with the rival Cowboys?
Day 2
Versatility/Scheme fit: 3/3
Skill/Talent: 3.5/4
Positional Need: 3/3
Day 2 Total Grade: 9.5/10
As Day 2 of the NFL Draft got started, the Giants held steady in their approach of going for the best available player on their draft board. Colton Hood is a great corner with elite man to man press technique. His film is top-notch and he competed at the highest level in the SEC, which is what you want from a player who was drafted with the idea that he would compete for a starting job going into training camp. He was also called out by many wideouts, including Georgia receiver Dillon Bell, as the best corner they had faced this season. He will fit right in to the scheme of man press defense that will be implemented by Dennard Wilson, who previously said that he wants the unit to be physical, nasty, and aggressive, which all seem like things right up Hood’s alley. He is an uncompromising corner who sets the edge and goes at 100 miles an hour on defense. He is also a strong tackler, which will make him fit in well with fellow corners Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome ll.
The No. 37 selection was the only pick that the Giants originally had, but that changed when they somewhat surprisingly traded up into the 3rd round for the No. 74 overall pick with the Browns. In exchange, they gave the Browns fourth and fifth round picks in this year’s draft as well as another fourth round pick in the 2027 draft. The player that they decided to pick was Malachi Fields, a wide receiver out of Notre Dame. He is a solid player with a strong work ethic and fills a hole at the #2 receiver spot alongside Malik Nabers. He will be tasked with providing another credible deep threat that stretches the field to take the focus off of Nabers. While this pick represents the Giants aggressively trading up to get their guy, it might have been too much draft capital given up for an unproven player whose 40 time was an underwhelming 4.61 seconds. However, he should be an immediate upgrade for our roster after losing Wan’dale Robinson in free agency, since there was no clear cut second wide receiver for Jaxson Dart going into the draft. Overall, these two selections were both good positional picks that filled starting spots on the roster and were drafted with their unique skill sets in mind. The talent of Malachi Fields as an all around receiver who can be thrown to in any situation (as opposed to just a straight vertical threat) will remain to be seen.
Day 3
Versatility/Scheme fit: 2.5/3
Skill/Talent: 3.5/4
Positional Need: 3/3
Day 3 of the NFL Draft was pretty mundane for the first two rounds. The Giants had traded their fourth and fifth round picks to the Browns for receiver Malachi Fields, as mentioned above. However, they still had three picks left at the top of the sixth round, at No. 186, 192, and 193. These picks were expected to go towards the trenches and possibly special teams, and we weren’t disappointed. Bobby Jamison-Travis, the defensive lineman with size reminiscent of Dexter Lawrence, was a possible target in the later rounds who the Giants had already hosted for a visit. John Harbaugh was very high on him, saying that he had hoped he would be available that late. He will fill the void left by Dexter Lawrence’s departure to the Cincinnati Bengals. He is also a run stopper, with huge hands and massive weight to force upon opposing offensive lineman.
With the first of their back to back selections, the Giants went back to the trenches with the pick of J.C Davis, an offensive tackle out of Illinois. He started all 13 games at left tackle for Illinois, and was the #7 ranked lineman in pass protection during the postseason. He will fill out the depth chart and projects as a backup swing tackle for a Giants team whose offensive line was often filled with subpar backups when the starters got injured. He will be a welcome addition to the Giants growing offensive line room.
With their last pick of the draft, the Giants picked linebacker Jack Kelley out of BYU. He is a valuable addition to an inside linebacker room that has now been refurbished with #5 overall pick Arvell Reese, the free agent signing of Tremaine Edmunds, and Micah McFadden and Darius Muasau returning to the team. He plays fast and free, flying around on the field. He is a sure tackler and has a nose for the ball. He will be an upgrade for the Giants special teams unit and should make an immediate impact on the field as a rookie. All of these players are blue-collar talents that have the natural ability that is required for the high impact, challenging, and rigorous nature of their positions.
Day 3 Total Grade: 9/10
Overall, this draft class was a solid addition to the slowly evolving roster that is now being molded by John Harbaugh in his first season as the Giant’s new coach. Many analysts said that the Giants nailed all of their selections, and I agree. The talent is plentiful, the positional needs are mostly filled (the Giants said they will look into signing some veteran defensive lineman after the draft), and these players were clearly drafted with the image that Harbaugh has in his mind of his dream team. In his words, “I think we have a bunch of Giants, figuratively and literally… We have guys that we really like that are going to make a difference.” By literally, he meant the sheer size of the players drafted. Out of all the players that were selected, only Colton Hood, who is listed at 5 ’11 and 193 pounds, is lighter than 215 pounds and shorter than 6′ 1. All of the other players drafted were literally Giants for their positions. This draft class is going to be another building block for the future, and Giants fans everywhere can allow themselves some feeling of optimism after finally feeling good about the outlook of the franchise, from last year’s draft class to free agency this year. And now, we took the next step towards relevance: Another solid (if not spectacular) draft class.
Total Draft Grade for 2026 New York Giants Draft Class: A (9.35/10)
My name is Chris Jelinski. I’m a sophomore and I play wide receiver for my high school football team. I have a really strong passion for writing and sports. My favorite football team is the New York Giants and I also follow the Knicks and the Yankees. In my free time, I like to read, bake, and spend time with my family.
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