{"id":789480,"date":"2026-03-03T17:21:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/789480\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T17:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:21:18","slug":"ny-giants-draft-2026-how-the-nfl-scouting-combine-changed-mock-drafts-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/789480\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Giants draft 2026: How the NFL Scouting Combine changed mock drafts"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror, thoughts on some of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft have evolved. That means post-Combine mock drafts looks different than earlier ones.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at a handful of post-Combine mock drafts from some of the major players in the NFL Draft media to see how things may have changed for the New York Giants.<\/p>\n

Reid posted a two-round mock draft<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Round 1 (No. 5) \u2014 Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State<\/p>\n

The last time an off-ball linebacker was picked in the top five was 2019, when the Buccaneers took Devin White. So while it\u2019s rare, Styles\u2019 skill set pairs really well with the defense coach John Harbaugh will likely bring to the Giants. Styles dazzled at the combine and can be the boisterous presence that Harbaugh\u2019s Ravens teams often had at middle linebacker. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound defender is a converted safety who has the intangibles and potential to wear the green dot right away as a rookie.<\/p>\n

This, of course, is the same thing I did in my most recent mock draft<\/a>. By the time we get to our weekly mock draft tracker on Friday I think Styles to the Giants is going to emerge as a trend in mock drafts.<\/p>\n

An interesting non-Giants note in Reid\u2019s mock draft is that he has Georgia left tackle Morgan Freeling going No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns after an impressive Combine. Freeling is OT1 in this class. He has Francis Mauigoa of Miami going No. 11 to the Miami Dolphins, and Spencer Fano of Utah falling to the Carolina Panthers all the way down at No. 19.<\/p>\n

Round 2 (No. 37) \u2014 Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State<\/p>\n

If the Giants can\u2019t re-sign right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, they could pivot to a younger option. Iheanachor makes a lot of sense here as a right tackle to protect Jaxson Dart. Iheanachor is a high-upside player who\u2019s still growing into the position after not playing football in high school.<\/p>\n

When he saw this mock draft, BBV\u2019s Chris Pflum messaged me that this draft would be a \u201chome run.\u201d I agree, IF the Giants don\u2019t re-sign Eluemunor. If they re-sign the veteran right tackle, I would prefer one of the top two guards left on the board, Emmanuel Pregnon of Oregon or Chase Bisontis of Texas A&M. Or, a different position entirely.<\/p>\n

The Athletic (NFL executives)<\/p>\n

While at the Combine, the Athletic\u2019s Mike Sando polled a general manger, two assistant GMs, and a VP of player personnel for their top picks<\/a>. Following is how the Round 1 consensus ended up for the Giants.<\/p>\n

Round 1 (No. 5) \u2014 Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami<\/p>\n

Per Sando, three of the four executives chose Mauigoa.<\/p>\n

An exec who questioned New England\u2019s selection of left tackle Will Campbell at No. 4 last year thought the offensive tackles atop this draft were safer picks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe New England guy was limited physically,\u201d this exec said. \u201cThese guys (Mauigoa and Spencer Fano) are not.\u201d<\/p>\n

For context, here is the executives\u2019 consensus top 10:<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders \u2014 Fernando Mendoza, QB, IndianaNew York Jets \u2014 Arvell Reese, LB\/Edge, Ohio StateArizona Cardinals \u2014 David Bailey, Edge, Texas TechTennessee Titans \u2014 Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio StateGiants \u2014 Francis Mauigoa, OT, MiamiCleveland Browns \u2014 Spencer Fano, OT, UtahWashington Commanders \u2014 Reuben Bain, Edge, MiamiNew Orleans Saints \u2014 Makai Lemon, WR, USCKansas City Chiefs \u2014 Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre DameCincinnati Bengals \u2014 Peter Woods, DT, Clemson<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t even talk about the Giants\u2019 pick here. I am literally stunned that neither Styles nor Ohio State safety Caleb Downs are in this top 10.<\/p>\n

Round 1 (No. 5) \u2014 Carnell Tate, WR, Miami<\/p>\n

Tate had an opportunity to grab the WR1 title by the horns since both Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon did not do any athletic testing at the combine, but he came up short with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash. That doesn\u2019t hurt his stock, in my opinion, but it keeps him in the conversation with the other three. Still, his range likely starts here at No. 5 to give Jaxson Dart two legitimate deep-threat receivers in 2026.<\/p>\n

I get it. Mauigoa went No. 3 to Arizona in Sikkema\u2019s mock, and Styles went No. 4 to the Titans. I would prefer Downs here, but that\u2019s me. This is certainly a defensible selection that will make the Giants better.<\/p>\n

Round 1 (No. 5) \u2014 Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee<\/p>\n

The Giants take a swing on a high-upside cornerback who missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from an ACL tear.<\/p>\n

Zierlein has left the reservation here. The only defense is that he gave LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane to the Titans at No. 4.<\/p>\n

Still, McCoy can\u2019t be the pick this early. His tape is fantastic and he might end up being a great player, but he did not play in 2025 because of a torn ACL and then refused to get on the field at the Combine and show teams he was healthy. This after some reports that he was practicing with the Volunteers last fall and has been healthy for quite some time.<\/p>\n

As much as I like what I have seen of the player, and he might have been CB1 in the draft had he played last season, you just can\u2019t take him here.<\/p>\n

Downs, Mauigoa, Styles, Tate, Lemon, and Love all still on the board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror, thoughts on some of the top prospects in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":789481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2067],"tags":[7,519,1917,56,1208,37129,2321,2469,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-789480","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-giants","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-giants","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-giants","12":"tag-new-york-giants-draft","13":"tag-new-york-giants-mock-draft","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkgiants","16":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116166400252771447","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=789480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/789481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=789480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=789480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=789480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}