The player who will be second on the Giants in receptions this season was not on the roster last year.

John Schmeelk: Fact – Most people think it is probably going to be Isaiah Likely, but there’s also a chance it is Darnell Mooney. If Mooney can duplicate his two best seasons, one of which came under Matt Nagy when he was head coach of the Bears, he could easily grab 60-75 passes and be a consistent outside threat across from Malik Nabers. Darius Slayton is also a sleeper here. He was extremely consistent in his year-to-year production until 2025.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Likely is the likeliest possibility to claim that spot behind Malik Nabers. But don’t forget it could be an incoming draft pick if the Giants choose to go that route in the first round. There is still a long way to go in building the roster, let alone deciding roles.

Matt Citak: Fact – Based on what John Harbaugh said at the NFL Annual League Meeting, Likely is going to be used all over the field this season as he faces what will probably be his biggest role in an NFL offense yet. And based on some of his previous success in Atlanta and Chicago, Darnell Mooney is right up there with the tight end in terms of likelihood to finish second on the team in receptions. While Likely has never topped 42 receptions on a season, Mooney has an 81-catch campaign under his belt, not to mention two seasons with 100+ targets. I also wouldn’t sleep on Calvin Austin III, who could end up playing a similar role as Wan’Dale Robinson did last year.

Brian Burns will be the Giants’ first back-to-back season sack leader since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011 and 2012.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – Just missed the Fact Slam this week! Brian Burns will once again be the Giants’ best defensive player, but I don’t think he will lead the team in sacks. Burns was a great all-around player and a leader last year, but his sack numbers got inflated by some unblocked pressures and quarterbacks running into some sacks on an extended play. According to PFF, his win rate was only 7.9%, which was below teammates Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Pressures and win rate are not the only metric here, as Dan Salomone likes to stress, but it is a decent predictive indicator of how often a defender penetrates on pass plays. I think this could be Abdul Carter’s breakout season. He led the Giants with a 15.2% win rate last year, and I think with Dennard Wilson’s creativity, he will lead the team in sacks and break into the double digits.

Dan Salomone: Fact – I can’t believe I’m the only one going “fact” here. I debated if it would be debatable enough to make it one of our statements. Apparently it was. Burns is incredibly consistent. He is one of eight players in NFL history with at least 7.5 sacks in each of their first seven seasons to begin their career, joining Hall of Famers Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, Jared Allen, as well as DeMarcus Ware, Ryan Kerrigan, Aaron Donald and Yannick Ngakoue. And he is still just 27 years old and will turn 28 on draft night.

Matt Citak: Fiction – It would not surprise me to see Burns put together back-to-back seasons with double digit sacks for the first time in his career. The veteran was dominant last season, despite the team’s record. But I’m calling a big Year 2 breakout for Abdul Carter in 2026, and the reason for it is because of the way Carter finished the season last year. During a four-game stretch from Weeks 13-17 (with a bye in the middle), the young edge rusher had at least a half-sack in each game while totaling 23 quarterback hits, both of which set new franchise rookie records. He still finished the season with 72 quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, which ranked 7th in the league, while his 48 quick pressures were more than any other player. Between the arrival of John Harbaugh and Dennard Wilson, along with the return of Charlie Bullen, I expect big things from Carter this year, which includes finishing the season as the team’s sack leader.