New York Giants repeat past mistake with frustrating selection in latest 2026 NFL mock draft originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
It’s never too early to look ahead to the upcoming NFL Draft, especially when the New York Giants are projected to pick in the top five in 2026.
If their season goes awry, Big Blue will have a number of positions to address. The most important will likely be guard, tackle, wide receiver, and defensive back. The offensive line will drive the discussion, with Evan Neal, Jermaine Eluemunor, and Greg Van Roten projected to be free agents in 2026.
One of A to Z Sports’ many fantastic NFL Draft experts, Destin Adams, had this in mind in his latest mock draft. Below is his breakdown of why the Giants could take Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor:
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4. New York Giants: Kadyn Proctor, OT, AlabamaÂ
“The Giants could have already handed the keys to their starting QB job to 2025 first round pick Jaxson Dart by the time the 2026 NFL Draft arrives. To give him the best chance to succeed, the Giants’ offensive line needs to improve as well as their offensive weapons. There isn’t a WR/TE expected to be a part of the 2026 NFL Draft that is worth consider using the 4th pick in the draft on. So instead, I have the Giants forming a lethal tackle duo for the future between Andrew Thomas and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor.” – Destin Adams
Why the pick works
The logic behind this pick makes perfect sense. The Giants have struggled for over a decade to build a reliable offensive line, and the best teams in the NFL succeed because they invest in their OL through the draft. Drafting an offensive tackle to start opposite Andrew Thomas would transform the Giants’ offensive line.
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Proctor is a highly talented prospect at a ridiculous size of 6’7″, 369lbs. The athleticism he possesses for his size is extremely rare. He’s a mauler with the ability to overpower many defensive linemen. He also has a super sturdy base when taking on pass rushers and absorbs force easily. Additionally, he has overwhelming grip strength.
Why the pick doesn’t work
Did everything I just wrote about Proctor sound very familiar to you? A massive offensive tackle prospect from Alabama who is an extremely rare prospect? Does this sound an awful lot like Evan Neal, who has been one of the bigger busts for the Giants in the last ten years?
f the Giants are picking fourth overall, there likely will be a different GM than Joe Schoen making the pick. It’s unlikely that a new GM will take a past failure like this into account, but the selection of Proctor would lead Giants fans to crash out after everything that went wrong with Neal.
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Disturbingly, many of Proctor’s weaknesses are very similar to Neal’s. Because Proctor is so large, he struggles with flexibility and balance. As a result, he has a ton of issues with mirroring and countering pass rushers. If he doesn’t latch onto a defender at the start of a rep, he often loses. In the run game, he struggles with playing too high, often leading to him being out of position.
I’m not as bullish on Proctor as many other draft analysts are. His deficiencies led me to give him an early third-round grade. I’d much rather see the Giants pick some of the more underrated names in the class who project to be risers this season, like Caleb Lomu from Utah, Spencer Fano from Utah, Isaiah World from Oregon, or Drew Shelton from Penn State.
I respect the analysis and decision-making of this pick, but I would pray that they pick someone else instead for the sake of Giants fans’ sanity.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.