The slew of Final Mock Drafts are being unleashed before the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday night.
Todd McShay of The Ringer released his intel-fueled Mock Draft 5.0 on Wednesday morning, the culmination of months of film study as well as conversations with coaches and executives from around the NFL. The Giants’ trade of Dexter Lawrence turned the top of the draft on its ear as both picks suddenly became wildcards.
In a twist from most recent mock drafts, McShay has the Giants eschewing the defense
entirely in the first round.
5. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
WR Jordyn Tyson, DS Caleb Downs, and OT Francis Mauigoa are the other three names linked to the Giants, but they cash in on the opportunity to draft the no. 1 player on my board—as well as many NFL teams’ boards—at pick no. 5.
They pair Love with Cam Skattebo (and Tyrone Tracy Jr.) in the backfield, complementing running styles and skill sets alongside second-year QB Jaxson Dart.
10. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
Caleb Downs and Vega Ioane could be in play here, but Mauigoa has been linked to the Giants for a while, and this would be great value to land a player many scouts believe is the top offensive lineman in the draft.
With Jermaine Eluemunor re-signed, the Giants have two RT/OGs to round out the right side of their line, and it would give them an overpowering run-blocking group for Jeremiyah Love, Cam Skattebo, and Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Chris’ thoughts
I don’t think an offense-heavy draft is out of the question for the Giants. They have invested far more resources in their defense than in their offense in recent years, and John Harbaugh is a big enough believer in the roster that it was a major factor in his decision to come to New York. At the same time, he’s spoken about the importance of the quarterback position and about building a dynamic offense around Jaxson Dart.
I’m not going to say I don’t think the Giants won’t draft Jeremiyah Love. However, I do think I would be legitimately surprised by the pick.
From a practical perspective, the Giants already have a strong running game and were just behind the Ravens themselves in most rushing stats — and that was without Cam Skattebo and a makeshift receiving corps.
Yes, Love is a dynamic player with Home Run potential and receiving upside… But I’m also old enough to remember us all making the same rationalizations after Dave Gettleman made this same sequence of picks in 2018 with Saquon Barkley and Will Hernandez.
And I would be surprised if the first NFL coach to fully buy into modern analytics, the accountant he hired to lead a beefed-up analytics department, and the GM who shifted the Giants’ philosophy back to leveraging late-round value at running back all “agree to agree” (to use Harbaugh’s words) to make the same pick as the GM who openly mocked what they believe in.
There have been 12 running backs selected in the Top 10 since 2006, and there’s a good argument that only the first two — Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson — were really worth it for the teams that drafted them.
2025 – Ashton Jeanty
2023 – Bijan Robinson
2018 – Saquon Barkley
2017 – Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey
2016 – Ezekiel Elliott
2015 – Todd Gurley
2012 – Trent Richardson
2010 – CJ Spiller
2008 – Darren McFadden
2007 – Adrian Peterson
2006 – Reggie Bush
The selection of Mauigoa would be a surprise as well. I would be surprised if he made it past the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9, given the state of their offensive line and Andy Reid’s love of drafting offensive linemen in the first round.
But also, I’m not sure I see the Giants drafting an offensive tackle after signing Jermaine Eluemunor. Vega Ioane is probably a more likely selection if the Giants aren’t as comfortable with the competition for right guard as I believe they might be.
As I’ve been saying for weeks no, the more “plugged in” mock drafts I see, the more I suspect that nobody has a good handle on what the Giants are thinking or where they’ll go. I suspect the fifth and 10th picks are true wildcards after the trade of Dexter Lawrence, and nobody is quite sure how it will all shake out.
