With the New York Giants facing another season that is buried in the gutter at 2-11 as the calendar has barely flipped into December, most fans know that means the time has arrived to get knee deep in overanalyzing mock drafts ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Giants, who have played in a lot of close games this season but have struggled to finish them off to produce more wins in the left column, are already earning projections to secure another top-five selection after they ended up with the third overall pick after finishing with a 3-14 record in 2024.
If the franchise keeps pace with its possible draft status by the time this season reaches its miserable conclusion, the pick could become extremely valuable for a couple of reasons.
The first route that the front office, whether that remains general manager Joe Schoen’s territory or not after this season, could take is exploring a potential trade, as they are not expected to be in the running for a quarterback, given they’ll have Jaxson Dart back at the starting helm in 2026.
There could be a handful of teams searching for a gunslinger in April and calling the Giants to make a move-up deal that could land New York some nice extra draft capital to stash and deploy later for their own roster needs, which look to be many.
Perhaps, the Giants just elect to stay put if no offers blow them away and utilize their high-value slot to snag a premier prospect off the board that will tackle one of those aforementioned needs in a locker room that has underperformed in a campaign filled with injuries.
CBS Sports took the latter approach with the Giants in their first 2026 mock draft of the season, leading the organization towards a defensive focus and selecting Ohio State junior linebacker Arvell Reese to add extra depth to the edge position.
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) warms up prior to the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 22, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“The Giants will likely shop this pick to a quarterback-needy team, but Reese provides versatility on defense,” writer Blake Brockermeyer said in his analysis of the pick.
“He can stay on the field every down as an outside linebacker and also can rush the passer.”
Reese, who the outlet projects as the 10th-ranked prospect in the upcoming class and first in his position group, would mark the second straight edge rusher that the Giants poached via a top-three pick after they took current rookie Abdul Carter from Penn State in last year’s draft.
Earning more reps with the Buckeyes in his second season, Reese has been among the most active pressure players in the Big Ten conference this fall, with the third most sacks (8) and a very sharp tackling resume with just 6.9% of his opportunities getting whiffed. He is creating pressure on over 15% of his pass rush snaps and would certainly add more firepower up front.
But is going in that direction the right move for the Giants when they go on the clock in a few months?
While they might want to continue staking a large portion of their overall identity on a party of versatile edge rushers, we are hard-pressed to say it’s the slam-dunk play for the team.
One of the several failures that have plagued the Giants this season has been the lack of production along the defensive front.
They invested heavy resources to bring in experienced run stuffers and the unique chess piece in Carter, who mirrors Reese’s skillset, but all that has yielded them is the 30th-ranked unit and just one player with more than three sacks collected in Brian Burns.
In addition, the Giants still haven’t settled the long-term deal for Kayvon Thibodeaux, who remains one of the main figures in the equation.
The former first-round pick is still under contract through 2026 due to his fifth-year option getting picked up earlier this year, but he needs an extended agreement or to be turned into a trade asset if he doesn’t intend to remain in the team’s plans.
The Giants have expressed a desire to keep their relationship with Thibodeaux, who has become an underrated locker-room leader. He has not been that successful in the backfield with his sacks dropping to 2.5, just two years removed from his career-high 11.5 in 2023, and he has missed more time with a shoulder injury.
Tagging a guy like Reese could serve as a solid backup plan for the Giants to replace a veteran in what they consider a premium area of the roster.
At the same time, there might be enough depth for them to push that position group further down their board to pursue other equally important areas of their cast.
For one thing, the secondary appears to be one of the bigger glaring issues when it comes to competitive talent.
They’ve struggled all season with injuries, especially on the perimeter, and have been horrendous, playing too soft coverage in the fourth quarter of several games in which the Giants had built a rare lead and let it slip away down the stretch.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants could be keen on acquiring another dangerous wide receiver threat for quarterback Jaxson Dart to throw the football to as well.
They’ll get Malik Nabers back healthy as the bona fide No. 1 target next season and have a proven No. 2 in Darius Slayton under contract, but there are a bunch of question marks surrounding the rest of his weapons.
None of that touches on further bolstering the offensive line, which has finally started to show consistency in the 2025 campaign, or filling depth in other barren position groups that are just as important to the Giants’ future.
A lot will go into how the Giants decide their draft plans in the months ahead, but maybe just a change in scheme is what they need to make their current pass rush work.
It’s still early to say which position they will prioritize, and what matters is finding talent that actually shows up on the gridiron, where it hasn’t been enough for the current regime.
What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.
More New York Giants Coverage