LSU’s Mansoor Delane, the top corner in this 2026 NFL Draft, ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the Tigers’ pro day on Monday.
That is music to the Giants’ ears.
The first-team All-SEC, unanimous All-American would fill a major need on New York’s defense if John Harbaugh took him with the No. 5 overall pick.
Delane, 22 — whose full name is pronounced ‘MAHN-soor deh-LANE’ — gave quarterbacks fits as a senior. They managed only a 31.3 QB rating when targeting him, per Pro Football Focus, while completing only 27.7% of their passes against him, per ESPN (third best in all of college football).
And the 6-foot, 187-pound outside corner is a willing tackler who plays with effort and hits hard in the running game. Not to mention he split his 516 outside corner snaps in 2025 pretty evenly between the left (291) and right (225) sides, per PFF.
He played three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring for his final year at LSU. In 44 college games and 40 starts, he was credited with 35 passes defended, 27 pass breakups and eight interceptions. That included four interceptions in his final 2024 season with the Hokies and four total forced fumbles with one recovered.
He has graded well in both man and zone coverage. He is scheme versatile, and he breaks well on the ball. Arm length and hand size are smaller than some other top corners of past drafts, but he shows a nose for closing on and playing the football.
This is a hardnosed player who played through a core muscle injury last season and still starred. He would make the Giants better, tougher and more well-rounded at a key position.
The Giants signed Jaguars free agent corner Greg Newsome II to a one-year, $8 million contract this spring, but Newsome has underwhelmed lately. And that is the only player they have added to a group that features outside starter Paulson Adebo, slot Dru Phillips and reserves Deonte Banks and Art Green.
Last year’s defense committed huge penalties and allowed big completions down the field late in several fourth quarter choke jobs to lose leads and games. They desperately need steadier players on the back end.
The Giants have enough needs on their roster, of course. There are plenty of positions that would make sense for them to address in the first round, including offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, safety and some offensive skill positions.
But when Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens had a glaring need for a corner during his time there, they took one. They drafted Colorado corner Jimmy Smith in 2011, Alabama corner Marlon Humphrey in 2017 and Clemson corner Nate Wiggins in 2024.
The defensive backfield, in fact, was frequently a Baltimore priority.
His Ravens have used a first-round pick on a defensive back in three of the past four drafts and spent three first-round picks on safeties over the years, as well: Florida safety Matt Elam (2013), Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton (2022) and Georgia safety Malaki Starks in 2025.
Harbaugh and the Giants will have to decide who the best player available will be to their needy roster when they’re on the clock at No. 5. They’ll also have to evaluate opportunities to potentially trade down.
It’s safe to say Delane will be a part of all those conversations, though. Because he has the potential to be a special player, and the Giants need those everywhere — especially at the premium position of outside corner.
GIANTS FINALLY ADD TO FRONTS
The Giants finally added a body to their interior defensive line: Sam Roberts of the Atlanta Falcons. Roberts, 27, a backup and a 2022 New England sixth-round pick, played for the Patriots and the Panthers before the Falcons signed him off Carolina’s practice squad last fall. The 6-5, 300-pound tackle recorded his lone career sack with Atlanta before spending the final month and a half of the 2025 season on injured reserve. This one-year deal seems like rolling the dice on an affordable player who may contribute to a run-stopping rotation if healthy. He is the first defensive line signing of the Giants’ 2026 free agent cycle, and he is the first outside signing on either the offensive or defensive line, as well.