We’ve been talking about the possibility of the New York Giants trading down in the 2026 NFL Draft for months now.
For a brief moment, it looked like the Giants would have control of the top of the draft and the potential to get a king’s ransom in a trade down. The Giants owned the first pick in the draft, which would have given them the ability to auction off the rights to draft Fernando Mendoza.
Then the Giants won their last two games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, and slipped
all the way down to fifth overall. That seemingly ended dreams of trading down for a franchise-changing haul.
That said, 2025 gives us a glimmer of hope in the form of Travis Hunter. Last year it seemed like a given that the Cleveland Browns would take the dynamic two-way player. At least right up until they traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One of the facts of this draft class is that the talent level is very flat beyond the first few picks. While that has led many to label this a weak class, it also means that teams will be getting good –if not great — players into the third day. That, in turn, could entice teams looking for “difference makers” to move up for a specific player.
Such a move might not net as much as the first pick with a starting caliber quarterback sitting there, but it could still be worth the Giants’ while. After all, if the Giants are remodeling their franchise in the mold of the Baltimore Ravens, the defining feature is building a sustainable machine that runs on patience. The Ravens’ team building philosophy is to let the draft come to them. They are consistently hitting doubles and developing players, rather than taking big swings and reinvesting premium resources if a player doesn’t immediately work out.
All that brings me to the question I’ve had since before the Giants lost the first pick: How far is too far to trade down?
I decided to take a look at a quarter of scenarios: A small move, two medium sized moves, and a big leap.
The small move – New Orleans Saints
Perhaps the Saints want to jump the Browns and secure wide receiver Carnell Tate to build around Tyler Shough. Or perhaps they want a top defender to bolster am aging defense.
Giants offer: No. 5 overall
Saints offer: No. 8, No. 73
Players available at No. 8: David Bailey (edge, Texas Tech), Sonny Styles (LB, OSU), Jordyn Tyson (WR Arizona State), Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
Medium move – the Miami Dolphins
In this scenario, the Dolphins are moving up for Jeremiah Love to pair with Malik Willis in an offense largely devoid of playmakers. The Dolphins have a number of 3rd round picks after trading Jaylen Waddle, and they send two of them to the Giants.
Giants offer: No. 5overall
Dolphins offer: Picks 11, 75, 87
Players available at No. 11: Monroe Freeling (OT, UGA), Jermod McCoy (CB Tennessee), Makai Lemon (WR, USC), Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
Medium move – the Los Angeles Rams
Les “Eff Them Picks” Snead is going all-in on what could beatt Stafford’s last year. Let’s assume he’s moving up for Jeremiah Love here to give Sean McVay his own Christian McCaffrey.
Giants offer: No. 5 overall
Rams offer: Picks 13, 61, 93, and a 2027 fourth-round pick
Players available at No. 13: Monroe Freeling (OT, UGA), Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon), Makai Lemon (WR, USC), Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon), Keldric Faulk (DE, Auburn)
The big jump down – Cleveland Browns
The Browns need to bolster their offense, regardless of who’s under center. Right now the thinking seems to be that they’ll take the best playmaker available at 6th overall and then try to find a starting offensive tackle with the 24th pick. Here, they decide to shop at the top of the market for both positions.
Giants offer: No. 5 overall
Browns offer: Picks 24, 39, 70, and a 2027 fifth-round pick
Players available at No. 24: Vega Ioane (OG, Penn State), KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M), Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)
