NY Giants Draft Targets From ESPN Mel Kiper’s 2026 NFL Draft Big Board

NY Giants Draft Targets From ESPN Mel Kiper’s 2026 NFL Draft Big Board

Oh, draft videos once again here on New York Giants. Now, before we even get to Christmas, an annual tradition under Joe Shane. Well, our good buddy Mel Kyper recently released his big board for the 2026 NFL draft. And I’ll tell you which guys the New York Giants could look to target. Make sure you are subscribed to the channel though cuz nobody is going to cover the offseason better than we do here at New York Giants Now. And Brett Alper, former producer of this show, is actually the host of Patriots Today here at Chat Sports. And they are beating us in the subscriber battle. If you love the Giants and you want to beat Patriots Today, hit that sub button right now. [Music] You are watching New York Giants Now by Chat Sports. I am your host, Marshall Green. Let’s dive into it. Mel Kyper Jr. draft targets for the New York Football Giants. I can’t believe we’re having to do this yet again after a season where I didn’t think we would. But here we are as the New York Giants hold the number two pick in the NFL draft prior to week 13 being kicked off. So the draft for today, you would have the number two overall pick. But once again, I am going to drink Giants Kool-Aid and tell you I actually do think they are going to win some games down the stretch of the season. And I don’t think they’re going to be picking as high as number two. Either going to lose to New England and then I think they are going to win two of the four final games against Washington, Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Dallas. And the New York Giants are going to end the season 4 and 13. So, you’ll probably still be picking in the top 10, but I doubt at number two. In no order, I think here are some of the biggest needs for the New York Giants. Defensive tackle, offensive line, specifically right guard and right tackle, wide receiver, playmakers in the secondary, could be safety, could be corner, and I think inside linebackers that can play sideline to sideline and make plays in the run game are are very much needed. Look, if Joe Shane is going to be the general manager for the New York Giants this off seasonason, he cannot miss on this pick. He He literally cannot. And what’s crazy is like we’re going to hire a new head coach and keep Joe Shane, but if he has another bad NFL draft or another bad off season, what are we going to do? Fire Joe Shane? That’s why I just think it makes the most sense to fire the GM when you bring in a new head coach. But that’s not the New York Giants way. What’s crazy is about this big board for Mel Kyper, he’s got a lot of quarterbacks at the top. He’s got running backs at the top. So, we’re going to start with Peter Woods, the defensive tackle for Clemson as he is actually number six on Mel Kyper’s drop top prospect big board. He has big board. He has Dante Moore, quarterback from Oregon. Number one, Fernando Mendoza, quarterback out of Indiana. Number two, Jeremiah Love, the running back out of Notre Dame. Number three of Arll Reese, the linebacker out of Ohio State. Number four, and Ty Simpson, the quarterback out of Alabama. I don’t think the Giants are taking a quarterback. I’ll be shocked to take a running back and I don’t know if they should take another pass rusher inside of the top 10. You need a defensive tackle and Peter Woods at this point is the best in the NFL draft. At 6’3, 315 lbs, still just 20 years old. I actually thought he had a better season in 2024 than he did in 2025, but he’s the best of the best at this moment. The New York Giants, they greatly need help there. Mel Kyper wrote this saying Woods hasn’t been a lead in 2025, but the skill set exactly what NFL teams covet. He just needs to finish strong over the second half of the season. In the pros, Woods would fit nicely at three tech, though he has the versatility to move around on the defensive front. He plays on the inside the majority of the time, but he also could be disruptive off the edge. His strength will intrigue a lot of NFL teams no matter where he lines up. The New York Giants have been looking for that defensive tackle to pair alongside Dexter Lawrence ever since they traded away Leonard Williams. And to fix a run defense that is the worst in the NFL, adding a guy like Peter Woods would make a lot of sense. I think he can improve as a pass rusher on a down in and down out basis. Only nine quarterback pressures up to this point through the season, but he can make plays, get off blocks, shed blocks, and he is an extremely strong player. The number seven player on Mel Kyper’s big board is Jordan Tyson, the wide receiver out of Arizona State. This is a player that I have watched a lot of film on already because I love watching wide receiver film and he is a special special talent. He’s got prototypical size, excuse me, to play on the outside at 6’2, 200 lb, still just 21 years old so far through this season. 59 grabs, 689 yards, and eight touchdowns. And he is a stud. Kyper says the Colorado transfer has teamed up with quarterback Sam Levit to light up defenses for two seasons now. Tyson’s superpower is being open even when it looks like he’s completely blanketed and makes him essentially uncoverable in the red zone. He wins on 50/50 balls and out muscles defensive backs. Tyson is dealing with a hamstring injury which has kept him out since late October. If you can build a young wide receiver core of Malik Neighbors, Tyson Wandel Robinson, Theo Johnson at tight end, getting better and better, that’s the type of talent that you want to surround Jackson Dart with. He was awesome in 2024. I’m sure Cam Scaboo can give a nice uh word about him to the New York Giants. Uh a player I am interested in. Tyson’s a stud and the New York Giants could use another receiver. I don’t know if I would take one though at the top of the draft, but hey, he’s a stud and if he’s there, not gonna be mad if they do it. Let’s stay at the wide out spot. Carnell Tate coming out of Ohio State. V Ohio State. He’s a stud. Um, kind of similar profile to Jordan Tyson. I think that Tate is a little bit more springy and a little bit more of an athlete, but both these guys have awesome hands. Tate, like Tyson, built to play on the outside at 6’3″, 195 lbs. Tate has had some in some improbable grabs, acrobatic grabs this year. Climbing the ladder, toe tap at the back of the end zone. He’s a young prospect. We know Joe Shane likes that. 20 years old. Kyper says Ohio State has turned into wide receiver. You with a Mecca Ibuka being the most recent star receiver to come out of Columbus. And while most of the college football world focuses on Jeremiah Smith, who isn’t even draft eligible, Tate is putting up some serious numbers and showing why he is a top prospect for this class. Tate has produced big plays on a regular basis, averaging more than 18 yards per catch this season. He is a precise route runner, has great hands, and displays outstanding body control, and he’ll also happily block for ball carriers, which NFL coaches love to see. Well, the numbers for Cardell Tate up to this point are impressive. less than 40 grabs for almost 720 yards, north of 18.2 yards per catch. He’s got seven touchdowns on the season as Ohio State continues to go deeper and deeper into the season, approaching the college football playoff. I want to see what he does against top talent with top corners guarding him against some in some of the biggest games of the college football season. I don’t know how I feel about this NFL draft. It’s early. Things can change, but it feels like it’s a deeper draft and more so a topheavy draft. And of course, it is when the New York Giants are picking at the top. But I would be happy with any of these three players. Pick one who you want. Coming up next, we’ll go through the rest of Mel Kyper’s big board, talk some more draft prospects. But first, I got to tell you about our proud sponsor, DraftKings. We’re only a few weeks in and the NBA season is already wild. Stars are going off, rookies are making noise, and the action doesn’t stop. 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Bet must win to receive bonus bets which expire in 7 days. Minimum odds required. Additional terms at dkng.co/audio. Limited time offer. All righty. Next prospect we’re going to talk about is a safety Caleb DS once again from the Ohio State. I could already hear people in the comments. Marshall, there is no way we could take a safety in the top 10 of the NFL draft. And you know what? Nine times out of ten, I probably do agree with you. But sometimes I ask myself, do we overdo the positional value thing? Because if Brock Bowowers was in this draft, I would more than be very happy to take him in the top five or the top 10. I’m kind of just in the camp of taking a damn good football players. And that’s what Caleb DS is. And I think it’s almost unfair to just label him as a safety. This guy is a defensive impact player. He is a defensive playmaker. And that’s the type of guy the New York Giants need on their defense. Mel Kyper saying, “Downs, the brother of NFL wide receiver Josh DS and the son of former NFL running back Gary DS is basically an extension of the defensive coordinator. His football knowledge shows in his play. It’s obvious when you watch him in the Ohio State defense. But what really impresses me is how well he picked up Nick Sabin’s system as a 2023 freshman at Alabama before transferring. He diagnoses quickly thanks to his excellent pre- snap instincts and that allows him to play faster than his straight line speed might suggest. Plus, downs is solid in coverage and he is a very reliable open field tackler. This is going to be the captain of your defense. This is a guy that could play single high. He could play twoman. He could split. He could play G. He could do it all. He could play in the box. He could be that big nickel. He could play make off the edge as a pass rusher. This is someone that would change the playmaking ability of your defense. Caleb DS is a stud. And while I understand the chatter of you don’t take a safety in the top 10, well, uh, this dude’s a defensive playmaker and I think Kyle Hamilton, he might rego uh, in a reddraft go in the top 10. Spencer Fo, I’m not exactly sure how to say it. I do know this. I put on the tape for today’s video. This dude is a mer at the offensive tackle spot out of Utah. 6’6, 302 lbs, athletic, he can move his feet, but his play strength uh was something that popped off the page to me. And I understand the New York Giants have Germaine Aluminor, and he is going to be a free agent. And it sounds like the intent is to bring him back. He is 30 years old, though, and tackle is going to be a position that needs to be fixed here at some point for the New York Giants for the next 5, 10, 15 years. And this could be that guy. Mel Kyper says he has started 12 games at left tackle in 2023 before moving to the right side in 2024 and he has started 21 games there over two seasons working opposite another highly regarded bookend and Caleb Lamu uh Fanano does does a great job of keeping his big frame between the pass rusher and his quarterback. He is technically sound and shows good punch to compensate for his lack of ideal arm length. something that’s impressive to me. Zero sacks allowed for him this year. The Giants offensive line has been good and that’s something I think you want to continue to throw shots at, continue to throw bullets at. You have Jackson Dart, you have your quarterback. Let’s continue to protect him. A couple of other guys that I think everyone should get to know is Jeremiah Love, the running back for Notre Dame. I don’t really know what else I need to say about him. If you haven’t watched him, go do it. He is lightning in a bottle. Mia Lemon, he is a stud wide receiver out of USC, the offensive lineman out of Miami. Francis Muyaga, uh once again, I’m definitely butchering that, but uh he’s a beast. And then Kenyan Sadi, the tight end out of Oregon. Uh I don’t know if the Giants would be open to signing a tight end, but this guy, he is a stud, and he’s someone that I would love to pair alongside Jackson Dart, a big-bodied, strong-handed, contested catch guy over the middle of the field. It makes a lot of sense. If you want the New York Giants to add a difference maker in the NFL draft in round one, hit that thumbs up icon for me and make sure you are following me on social media. I’m on Twitter. I’m on IG, Marshall Green [Music]

New York Giants news looks toward the 2026 NFL Draft as ESPN’s Mel Kiper drops a big board with college football’s top prospects for the Giants to target. Giants Now host Marshall Green discusses who Giants GM Joe Schoen should target in the NFL Draft after the Giants fired Head Coach Brian Daboll and DC Shane Bowen. Notable CFB prospects on Mel Kiper’s big board include Jordyn Tyson, Peter Woods, Carnell Tate and more the New York Giants could draft in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Mel Kiper of ESPN on Jordyn Tyson:
“The Colorado transfer has teamed up with quarterback Sam Leavitt to light up defenses for two seasons now. Tyson’s superpower is being open even when it looks like he’s completely blanketed. It makes him essentially uncoverable in the red zone. He wins on 50-50 balls and outmuscles defensive backs. Tyson is dealing with a hamstring injury, which has kept him out since late October.”

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ESPN Mel Kiper on Ohio State safety Caleb Downs:
Downs — the brother of NFL wide receiver Josh Downs and the son of former NFL running back Gary Downs — is basically an extension of the defensive coordinator. His football knowledge shows in his play; it’s obvious when you watch him in the Ohio State defense. But what really impressed me is how well he picked up Nick Saban’s system as a 2023 freshman at Alabama before transferring. He diagnoses quickly thanks to excellent pre-snap instincts, and that allows him to play faster than his straight-line speed might suggest. Plus, Downs is solid in coverage, and he is a very reliable open-field tackler.

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