Heart of a Giant Award winner meets NY Giants’ Dexter Lawrence
Old Tappan football player accepts Heart of a Giant Award and Super Bowl LX tickets, meets Giants lineman Dexter Lawrence.
The New York Giants currently hold the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a 16-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.With a 2-13 record, the Giants control their own destiny for the top draft spot with two games remaining in the season.The team has already fired head coach Brian Daboll, and general manager Joe Schoen’s future remains uncertain.
EAST RUTHERFORD – Not only are the New York Giants still No. 1 – they control their own destiny.
That’s the result of a nine-game losing streak, kept alive Sunday by virtue of a 16-13 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants (2-13) continue to own the No. 1 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon.com, which projects the order based on standings and strength of schedule (SOS). Then, as the Giants were losing to Minnesota, the Tennessee Titans beat the Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead.
The Giants’ fan base has gotten plenty familiar with the duality of living a not-so-charmed life in the NFL’s basement. The losing is difficult to stomach, but the more losing a team does, the better its draft positioning gets.
Of course, the Giants have been this close to claiming the ultimate draft prize before. Just last year, in fact, they were in position to claim the No. 1 pick heading into Week 17. They had lost 10 straight games before stunning the Indianapolis Colts with a rousing 45-33 victory in which Drew Lock played like Peyton Manning and Malik Nabers turned in an All-Pro worthy effort.
Because of that, the Giants tumbled behind the Titans and the Browns, and not only drafted Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick, they traded back into the first round and selected Jaxson Dart at No. 25.
The circumstances facing the Giants this year are certainly different than they were a year ago, as the franchise believes it has its quarterback of the present and the future with Dart.
The Giants have already fired their head coach in Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will run the search for his predecessor, even if ownership has not made a definitive statement either way regarding Schoen’s return as of yet.
Who is the potential No. 1 draft pick in 2026?
With the way Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has performed in leading the No. 1 Hoosiers into the College Football Playoffs, it’s believed that the Heisman Trophy winner will be the sought-after prospect by teams such as the Jets and the Raiders who are expected to be in the market for a QB.
That could bring the Giants a significant haul of draft assets if they stay at No. 1 and look to deal the pick.
How many times have NY Giants had No. 1 draft pick?
The Giants have held the first overall pick twice in franchise history: in 1951 (Kyle Rote) and 1965 (Tucker Frederickson), but that was prior to the common draft post the league’s 1970 merger.
NY Giants’ next game
With two games left in the regular season, the Giants will return to action next Sunday in Las Vegas against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Here’s a look at the top of the projected draft order with the Giants in the lead with the Raiders, the Browns, the Titans and the Jets all within a game of No. 1:
NY Giants (2-13) remaining scheduleSunday, Dec. 28 at Las Vegas Raiders (2-12), Allegiant StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 vs. Dallas Cowboys (6-8-1), MetLife StadiumLas Vegas Raiders (2-12) remaining scheduleSunday, Dec. 28 vs. New York Giants (2-13), Allegiant StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs (6-8), Allegiant StadiumSunday, Dec. 28 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6), Huntington Bank FieldSunday, Jan. 4 at Cincinnati Bengals (5-10), Paycor StadiumNew York Jets (3-12) remaining scheduleSunday, Dec. 28 vs. New England Patriots (11-3), MetLife StadiumSunday, Jan. 4 at Buffalo Bills (11-4), Highmark StadiumTennessee Titans (3-12) remaining schedule2026 NFL Draft order
Here’s the current 2026 NFL Draft order, projected by Tankathon.com (will be updated after Sunday night’s action):
New York Giants (2-12)Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)Cleveland Browns (3-12)Tennessee Titans (2-12)New York Jets (3-12)Arizona Cardinals (3-11)Washington Commanders (4-10)New Orleans Saints (4-10)Cincinnati Bengals (4-10)Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)Miami Dolphins (6-7)Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)Minnesota Vikings (6-8)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)Baltimore Ravens (7-7)Detroit Lions (8-6)New York Jets (via Colts)Carolina Panthers (7-7)Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)Houston Texans (9-5)Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)Buffalo Bills (10-4)Chicago Bears (10-4)Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)San Francisco 49ers (10-4)Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)New England Patriots (11-3)Seattle Seahawks (11-3)Los Angeles Rams (11-3)Denver Broncos (12-2)