Giants 2026 NFL Draft Grades: Did They Make a Massive Round 1 Mistake?
What makes a good draft or a bad draft?
Is it what players will do in the present or how they will pan out in the future?
The 2026 NFL Draft is over, and that means it’s the appropriate period before training camps start in the summer to make our stand on how well each team did with their prospect selections over the three days in Pittsburgh.
After trading away Dexter Lawrence II before the festivities began to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick, the Giants were in a prime position with two picks in the top 10.
Did they hit a home run, or did New York take a gigantic swing and miss?
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Best Pick: Arvell Reese 1.5, LB (Ohio State)
Reese was looked at as the leading defensive player in the 2026 class for most of the lead-up to the draft.
Yet the other New York team, the Jets, sided with David Bailey and wanted a pure edge rusher rather than the all-purpose Reese.
Reese is a fantastic choice for the Giants at the fifth spot, and the Buckeye standout could very well develop into the captain of that defense over the next few years.
Most Interesting Pick: Francis Mauigoa 1.10, OT (Miami)
Mauigoa, if healthy, is arguably the best offensive tackle in the class. There are concerns he might need back surgery sooner rather than later, but if he can play, he’ll be a force and help Jaxson Dart not have to be so scrambly in the pocket.
The glaring question with the 10th pick, though, is that Reese’s partner in crime, Caleb Downs, was right there to take at 10.
A duo of Reese and Downs together patrolling the defense for the next decade sounded nice for the Giants, but it’ll come down to the health and durability of Mauigoa.
Overall Grade: B+
It was a strong draft for the Giants, who continue to invest in their youth movement and followed up a few years of flashy picks by eating their vegetables, even when there might have been shinier skill-position players on the board.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 7:07 PM.