A- Draft For The New York Giants

By Dan Salem

Posted on May 8, 2026

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It was nearly perfect, but one glaring concern keeps the New York Giants down a notch. They had a great draft, but there’s a caveat.

Prepare for the intense sports debate that only sibling rivalry can conjure. Seesaw Sports, where Dan Salem and Todd Salem throw down on the NFL, MLB, NBA and more. Only on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate sports.

 

The New York Giants entered their first draft under John Harbaugh with two top-10 picks and a lot of holes to fill. We speculated all spring that this draft was perfect for New York because they would get their pick of two elite players after the other teams in the top 10 picked through the edge rushers and offensive tackles, two positions the Giants don’t currently need.

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The draft…has a way of surprising. New York chose both an edge rusher and an offensive tackle with their first round picks, at least on paper. Positions can be deceiving and the Giants have a clear plan, which is why their draft was nearly perfect. What’s the catch?

 

New York Giants A- NFL Draft

 

 

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Todd Salem: First, let’s run through what happened at the top. The Giants selected Arvell Reese at pick five and Francis Mauigoa at 10. Reese was the consensus top defensive player in the draft and Mauigoa the consensus top offensive lineman. My emotions ran the gamut after these transactions.

It started as wonder; why is Reese falling. Then, will the Giants trade back to a team desperate for an edge rusher. After they took Reese, immediate panic; there were so many good players on the board in positions they “needed.” Then, realization; wait, the Giants got arguably the best non-quarterback in the draft! A similar path of reactions happened again at 10, but let me finish with Reese.

Reese was labeled as an edge coming into the draft because that is the most valuable defensive position. If someone was going to take him, they’d want him at edge. It’s like drafting a C/1B dual-eligible player in fantasy baseball. You obviously play him at catcher, where the most value is gained.

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The Giants aren’t going to do that (at least to begin his career). See, Reese is also perhaps the best linebacker in the draft. The Giants need linebackers; it’s the entire reason everyone kept mocking Sonny Styles to them at five instead. But they think Reese is just a better flat-out linebacker than Styles, and they may be right! On top of that, Reese can rush the passer from the off-ball linebacker position. It’s a win-win.

A similar thing happened with Mauigoa ironically. It was somewhat weird he kept falling (though he did have a back issue that teams were apparently worried about). Then, when the Giants took him at 10, it felt like a bad fit because they already have two starting tackles. Teams always need depth, but you don’t want to use a top-10 pick on someone guaranteed to be on the bench in the ideal scenario.

But that isn’t Mauigoa because, in addition to being one of the best tackles in the draft, he is also thought to be perhaps the best guard in the draft. The Giants need guards, and so here we are.

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Fans criticize teams for reaching for need and passing on a better player. Always take the best player available, they say. Fans also criticize teams for ignoring need when there is a massive hole to fill on the roster. (It’s hard to please fans.) Somehow, the Giants managed to take the two best players available when they were picking and also fill two massive needs. What a slam dunk.

Would I have still preferred Caleb Downs at 10?

After that wild start to their draft, the Giants kept hitting. They took an elite athlete at corner in round two, Colton Hood; a guy who has a chance to start for them Week 1. They then traded up in round three to take a big-body wide receiver, Malachi Fields, who could pair nicely with the speedsters and slot guys they have on-roster.

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New York then had three picks in round six, adding much needed beef on both lines and a wildcard linebacker who could thrive in specific packages and/or on special teams. All in all, it was a massively successful draft for the Giants. It took me a few days to work through the maturations of what happened and how I should feel about it, but that is the overall outcome, and it’s hard to argue.

…unless you’re telling me they should have had Caleb Downs.

 

 

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A- Draft for the New York Giants

Dan Salem: You should always draft the best player available, especially within the top ten picks. That is the only way to guarantee you improve your team, because top 10 players are supposed to be day one starters and the best players are simply the best. The New York Giants did just that, so I must congratulate them for seeing the big picture, taking the two best players at picks 5 and 10 respectively, while also knowing how those players can start for their team in week one. Bravo.

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New York made the right decisions in round one, but I’m still concerned. The Giants main issue last year was blowing leads due to a poor secondary. When the opposition went all-out pass to try and catch up, New York was forced to stop putting as much pressure on the quarterback, rely more on their secondary, and ultimately hand over wins to the other team. Adding a stellar linebacker will definitely help solve this issue, but they did not add a definitive starter to the secondary. Hood may develop into one, but as a second-round pick, he likely needs a little more time. Is this going to be deja vu for New York in 2026?

The great unknown is what type of defense the Giants will run this season. My hope is that both New York’s defense and offense are more aggressive from start to finish, because the other sure-fire way to hold a lead is to never stop attacking. Keep your foot on the gas on both sides of the ball and you will hold most leads, especially large ones like New York had last year. Harbaugh is known as a winning coach, not one who blunders away victories, so until proven otherwise, we can assume he will correct things for the better.

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On paper, the Giants are significantly improved from last season despite retaining the majority of their roster. This is huge. Yet that gaping hole which was a cesspool of losing is not significantly smaller as of yet. It may work itself out through the coaching changes and personnel shifts, or it may be another year before New York is truly improved enough to make a playoff run. Considering how bad the Giants have been for nearly a decade, its a near certainty that 2026 will be a major step in the right direction.

 

 

Meet our Sports Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

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A- Draft For The New York Giants