Giants bolster offensive line and land explosive playmaker in latest 2-round 2026 NFL mock draft

Football is finally back. The college football season starts this weekend, and the NFL season is less than a week away. Despite the timing, it's never too early to look ahead at the upcoming NFL Draft.

The fantastic Ryan Roberts and I collaborated on a two-round mock draft this week, projecting how we envision the 2026 NFL Draft could unfold at this early stage in the draft process. For this mock, I had the reins for the New York Giants' two selections and came away with two very impactful draft picks. Let's take a look at the two players the Giants could pick come next April.

Round 1, Pick 4: Penn State OT Drew Shelton

Even though Jaxson Dart hasn't taken a regular-season snap yet, he's done enough to confirm the Giants must build a sturdy foundation around him. Success from any young quarterback is driven by adequate protection and weapons. Based on the talent at various position groups in this draft class, drafting an offensive lineman fourth overall makes the most sense.

The preceding selections before the fourth pick were two quarterbacks and an EDGE rusher. Many of the other selections in the top 10 were at positions the Giants didn't need to address. Having the ability to choose the first offensive lineman would be massive in finally rectifying the significant mistake of drafting Evan Neal in 2022.

In this situation, I opted to pick Shelton from Penn State. Based on my preseason film evaluations and the opinions of other national media members, there were a handful of names worthy of being drafted in this spot. I believe Shelton has the highest potential of all of them. Shelton draws comparisons to Minnesota Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who has been one of the best tackles in the NFL.