While the NFL still has the outcome of Super Bowl LX to sort out this weekend, the New York Giants, like 29 other teams, have had a head start on the offseason and a critical step in building their coaching staff around new head coach John Harbaugh.
Once the dust settles on the big game and the 2025 season officially closes, it all becomes about roster evaluations and discerning where changes are needed. For the Giants, they’ll have to fill several key positions via free agency and the draft, with not the greatest abundance of capital at their disposal.
That’s the first challenge that general manager Joe Schoen and Harbaugh will be tasked with as they commence their partnership aimed at getting the franchise back to being a perennial contender. One of the glaring weaknesses from this past season they’ll need to prioritize is the defensive secondary, which was tormented on many occasions by elite receivers.
The Giants also have big needs to potentially fill in the receiving corps and the offensive line, and many early mock drafts have had New York cashing in on one of the high-caliber prospects at those two position groups.
However, a new mock exercise that was released by NFL.com this week goes against the traditional thinking for what the Giants should do at No. 5 in this April’s draft. Their belief in where the team will get the most value in its quest for more wins in 2026 lies in the cornerback room, which needs a boost in depth.
Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (3) reacts after gaining control of a fumble during the second quarter at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Mock curator and NFL Network analyst Cynthia Frelund has New York making one of the first bold moves of the first round, selecting University of Tennessee junior cornerback Jermod McCoy to mark the third defensive prospect off the board in the top five selections.
While the Giants land on McCoy, they could have had their pick of several highly-mentioned players in multiple key areas, including wide receiver where Carnell Tate, a guy who has been mocked heavily to them, who went on the next pick to the Cleveland Browns, and a few other names that could have been considered closer to blue-chip pieces taken near the top of day one.
“McCoy tore his ACL in January 2025 (he missed all of last season), so we’ll have to see how his medical evaluations turn out during the draft process (including at the NFL Scouting Combine),” Frelund said.
“But my model loves his potential and upside: He has the highest rating for a true press corner in this year’s class. Also, at just 20 years old, he’s two years younger than my No. 2 rated corner, Mansoor Delane.”
Anytime one is talking about an NFL team taking a risk on a premier pick with a prospect that hasn’t played much football over the past year, it doesn’t sit well, and it seems highly unlikely that the Giants would take this route outlined in Frelund’s mock.
Upside is always a nice thing in a young player, but the Giants are going to be searching for immediate difference makers for their already inexperienced group in the secondary. With previous draftees and signings not panning out, they need a prospect who is fresh off being a massive contributor and can jump right into that role if called upon.
In terms of McCoy’s background, his previous two seasons with the Volunteers before injury had displayed growth in most areas as a coverage defender. He led his school’s secondary with an 89.6 PFF coverage grade in 393 snaps and held opponents to a 50.0% reception rate and 53.6 passer rating when targeted.
In man coverage packages, McCoy was even more of a pesky matchup for opposing pass catchers. He allowed just 10 receptions on 25 targets for 168 yards and was more successful at disrupting the ball with six forced incompletions and four interceptions.
The press-man element is something that the Giants’ secondary struggled with during the 2025 season.
The unit allowed an average of at least 11.8 yards per catch in those looks, and the four (Flott, Phillips, Adebo, and Banks) combined to give up 876 yards and eight touchdowns, as only Phillips was able to be a real nuisance to the throw.
McCoy was also a pretty solid contributor to slowing down the run game, which was another issue for the Giants’ defense, whiffing on just 4 of his 36 tackles in run defense last season while making 11 stops.
That would also help him fit into the aggressive system that the team is expected to run under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
All of that said, the idea of selecting an underutilized player in McCoy who is jumping into the NFL level after barely logging any snaps in his final collegiate season seems like a risk for the Giants. Injuries, particularly those in the deep field, have been a thorn in their side.
So tabbing McCoy as another piece with the background of missing time that he has is something to avoid, especially in this mock, where other leading prospects, such as LSU’s Mansoor Delane, are available and bring much of the same intangibles.
The Giants have several key positions that they need to figure out this offseason, and perhaps the secondary is among the top if they want to stack more wins in 2026. Still, they should exercise way more judgment in their most valuable selection so that it doesn’t become John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen’s first draft failure as partners.
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