With two weeks of New York Giants training camp in the books, how are the team’s 2026 draft picks performing? Let’s take a look.
Arvell Reese
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft spent his time in West Virginia showing all of the reasons the Giants were thrilled to select him. He made plays going forward against the run and as a blitzer. He made plays going backward in zone coverage, and playing man-to-man. He made plays going sideline to sideline. He occasionally lined up on the edge.
In other words, he showed
every skill the Giants were hoping to see.
When we had an opportunity to speak with him near the end of the West Virginia stay, Reese wasn’t bragging.
“Every day I come out here, there’s always something I’m looking to get better at,” Reese said. “As you watch the film, there’s always something to pick up on to get better at and correct the next day. So, yeah, that’s a day-in, day-out thing. Every day I’m looking to get one percent better at something.”
Reese has shown a desire to earn respect from his teammates since the day he was drafted, and that is part of what endears him to veteran players.
Head coach John Harbaugh loves Reese’s playmaking. What impresses him most, though, is how few assignment mistakes Reese, the team’s youngest player at 20 years of age, makes despite carrying a heavy plate of responsibilities.
“You see the talent, obviously,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s very sharp for a first-year guy. He gets things right pretty much all the time, makes very few mistakes. He’s a very serious-minded guy, and he’s very determined. I mean, he’s doing things well.”
Reese was matter-of-fact when I asked him about Harbaugh’s comment.
“That’s very important. That’s my job to do that. I get to do that, you feel me?,” Reese said. “So, it’s very important. I take a lot of pride in that, in knowing my stuff and making sure I’m doing everything right. Mistakes happen, but try to just limit those mistakes and not make the same mistake twice.”
Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa
Remember Andrew Thomas’s rookie season? John Michael Schmitz’s? Evan Neal’s? None of them were good, and that is important context to keep in mind when you assess Mauigoa, the No. 10 overall pick.
Harbaugh is not looking for Mauigoa to play like a Hall of Famer from Day 1. He is looking, at least initially, for functionality that does not hold the offense back.
“It’s hard. It’s a tough position to play because there’s so much that goes into it. So, you probably have to be a little bit understanding because everything is new to those guys, and there’s so much nuance and detail to the position. So, the ability to function in a way that you can operate with, that’s probably where it starts,” Harbaugh said recently.“ I mean, they have to know where to go. The footwork’s got to be – fundamentals have to be sound enough that they just don’t get whipped right away, which can happen because it can ruin the play. So, they’ve got to have that certain level of competence out of the gates. That’s a must.
“And really, very few guys – there’s very few offensive linemen, really, no matter where they get drafted, that can actually pull that off their rookie year. So, hopefully Sisi’s one of those guys. So far so good, but we’ll see.”
Mauigoa has taken every snap of training camp as the starting right guard. It has certainly looked to the naked eye as though Mauigoa has been meeting or exceeding the bar Harbaugh has set.
Veteran inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has found himself hooked up regularly with Mauigo during 11-on-11 periods.
“He’s a good player. Obviously he’s strong with his hands, has good foot movement, good footwork. Just attention to detail,” Edmunds said. “I think the guys that’s on the o-line are making him better as well. He’s learning from some of the older guys, but early impressions, he’s strong. He understands blocking schemes and where to be at. So, he’s doing a good job right now.
“It’s still early for him though, training camp is a long way. So, I think each day that we come out here, once he starts playing in the games, that would be another test for him and he’ll continue to get better. But so far, I’ve definitely been liking what I’ve been seeing from him.”
Nose tackle D.J. Reader has also had some battles with Mauigoa.
“He’s very heavy-handed and he can move,” Reader said. “It’s good to be around some young, joyful energy. I’m getting up there in some years. He’s a kid, I know he’s going to make me bring it every day. He’s going to make me better for it, and he’s going to get better for it.
“He can get some push on you. I tend to believe in myself being pretty strong. He does a good job, though, of bringing the power to you.”
Colton Hood
The cornerback competition is interesting. Hood, Paulson Adebo, Deonte Banks, and Greg Newsome are the top four cornerbacks. In some order. I just couldn’t tell you what that order is. All four have taken first-team reps. All four, including Adebo, have taken second-team reps.
Hood is holding his own. There have been good moments:
- On Tuesday, he broke up a fade in the corner of the end zone to the since-released Beaux Collins.
- On Friday, he forced an incompletion in coverage against tight end Isaiah Likely.
There have been bad moments, like Friday when Dalen Cambre caught a hitch route, spun, and left Hood grabbing at air as he ran down the field.
“jJust like any rookie. They’re going to have their rookie turns and their rookie curves and everything like that, but he’s getting better and better each and every day, said veteran defensive back Ar’Darius Washington. ”He comes in. He works. He wants to get better. He wants to learn. He wants to talk.“
Hood knows there are things he still doesn’t know.
“I’m learning a lot from the veterans,” Hood said near the end of last week. “Just getting up to speed with the playbook and everything. It’s been a good camp. I’ve learned a lot and I’m going to continue to learn.”
At the end of mandatory minicamp, cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch said there were areas of his game where Hood needed to improve. Hood believes he is taking steps in the right direction.
“I’m definitely recognizing formations better. I have a better understanding of the playbook and what the guys are doing around me,” Hood said. “I think those are the two biggest things that I had to work on.”
Hood is trying not to focus on how the cornerback depth chart will play out.
“I don’t really wonder about it. I’m just going to take it day-by-day,” Hood said. “Just keep going. And being the best version of myself.
“When it’s time for me to go and be out there, I’m going to be out there and do what I need to do. I’m not really going to look at it, I’m just going to do what I’m told and do what I’m taught, and just do my job.”
Malachi Fields
The third-round pick has not been as productive this summer as he was in the spring. Of course, a big part of that is that Fields was limited during the past week by an undisclosed injury.
When Fields has been able to practice, many of his reps have been with Jaxson Dart and the starting offense.
Bobby Jamison-Travis
If you are looking for a detailed breakdown of Jsmison-Travis’s performance, I can’t give you one. It is virtually impossible to get a clear look at nose tackle play from our vantage point. I do believe Jamison-Travis is making the roster. Let’s see what he does in the preseason games.
J.C. Davis
I was hoping to see Davis, the 192nd pick in the draft, show some positional flexibility this summer. To date, that has not happened. Davis has been the third-team left tackle throughout training camp, with undrafted free agent Ryan Schernecke on the right side.
I don’t know how Davis makes the 53-man roster if left tackle is the only position he can play. Andrew Thomas is healthy, and Marcus Mbow is the swing tackle. Josh Ezeudu has been the second-team right tackle, and the Giants know he has experience at both left tackle and guard in an emergency.
Jack Kelly
The 193rd pick in the draft has been impressive. He has consistently been lining up next to Micah McFadden with the second-team defense, and is clearly ahead of Darius Muasau and Zaire Barnes in the competition for roster spots.
Like Reese, but on a lesser scale, we have seen Kelly make plays going forward, backward, and to the sideline. You wouldn’t think he could do it, but on two occasions I have seen Kelly drop into deep coverage in the middle of the field and deny passes intended for wide receivers.
