Giants nailed the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft

The New York Giants entered the 2026 NFL Draft with two top-10 picks and needing some key missing pieces to polish up their roster. 

New head coach John Harbaugh made his intentions clear over the first three rounds, as New York addressed basically every major need and came away as one of the biggest winners of the draft before it was even over.

Giants load up on defense, offensive line

With the No. 5, pick the Giants took Ohio State LB Arvell Reese. Reese tallied 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 14 games in 2025 for the Buckeyes. He was also a Consensus All-American and Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.

It's most likely that Harbaugh plans to use Reese next to Tremaine Edmunds while moving him all over the front seven. Reese now joins a defensive front that already includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. With this addition, it's fair to say the Giants may have one of the deepest edge-rushing groups in the NFL.

With the No. 10 pick, which they got from the Cincinnati Bengals by trading them Dexter Lawerence, the Giants chose one of the most physically dominant offensive linemen, Miami OT Francis Mauigoa. There's been some noise around the media surrounding this pick, as many fans thought that it was going to be used on Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, considering Downs was arguably the best player in this draft. But instead, they took one of the best players at one of their most needed positions. Mauigoa is exactly the kind of lineman the Giants need to improve their run game.

A big reason fans thought Downs was going to be drafted by the Giants is because their secondary needs some work. However, they decided to be patient and got Tennessee corner Colton Hood at pick No. 37. Hood was an All-SEC selection and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2025. He should be an immediate starter along with Paulson Adebo.

Giants snag high-potential WR in third round

The Giants also needed another receiver to pair alongside Malik Nabers, but that isn't something they could do early in the draft mainly due to Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson being taken before both of their first-round picks. They were, though, still able to get Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields with the No. 74 pick. Fields probably wasn't their most desired wide receiver in the draft, but he's still a good playmaker who should be another target for quarterback Jaxson Dart this season.

In three rounds, the Giants addressed pass rush, offensive line, cornerback and wide receiver. With the way the offseason has been looking in New York, including Harbaugh's hiring, injuries healing, signing tight end Isaiah Likely and now having a stellar draft, the Giants are starting to look like their rebuilding era is over and they could make a push for the playoffs in 2026.