The New York Giants watched helplessly tonight as the Houston Texans jumped them in the draft order and selected defensive tackle Kayden McDonald in Round 2 before the Giants had a chance to take him as a Dexter Lawrence replacement. The Giants responded by selecting cornerback Colton Hood with the No. 37 pick. Christen Miller, another DT that some thought might be a possibility for the Giants, went five picks later.
That seemed to be all she wrote for Day 2 because the Giants had given up their Round 3 pick in the trade-up for Jaxson Dart in 2025…until the Giants traded up with Cleveland. The Giants moved up to No. 74 to take big wide receiver Malachi Fields, surrendering their 4th and 5th round picks in this draft as well as their 4th round pick in the 2027 draft.
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The Giants will come to bat again Saturday afternoon, but with only their three Round 6 picks (Nos. 186, 192, 193) remaining.
At this point in the draft, “best player available” philosophy is more likely to give way to filling remaining needs unless there is truly no one of sufficient quality at a given position still on the board. Often players taken in the round are selected because of what they might contribute on special teams rather than offense or defense.
It’s also the time to take chances, though, on players who might surprise. Remember David Tyree (No. 211 in 2003)? Who are some of the players who might be available when the Giants pick? Let’s briefly list some of the possibilities, recognizing that some of them are likely to go in Rounds 4 and 5.
Defensive tackle
The Giants still haven’t drafted an interior defensive lineman. Having been jumped by Houston in Round 2 for Kayden McDonald and having passed on Christen Miller, who went 6 picks later, the Giants seem to be sending a message that they are not concerned about replacing Dexter Lawrence. In reality this must mean that they are just waiting until Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. to sign one or more free agent DTs such as D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, or Calais Campbell.
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Still, it’s worth a shot to take an IDL with one of those three Round 6 picks.
Names on the BBV Big Board for Round 5 include Bryson Eason, Tim Keenan III, David Gusta, Brandon Cleveland, Landon Robinson, Rene Conga, Dontay Corleone, and Skylar Gill-Howard. Chris has writeups on three of them that can be linked to from the big board. Perhaps of these three, Keenan III is most likely to still be on the board in Round 6. Keenan is a run defender only with no pass rush potential, but having a nose tackle who can defend the run is worth something.
Interior offensive line
The Giants are now probably set at guard with Jon Runyan Jr. on the left side for another year and Francis Mauigoa hopefullty about to become the anchor at right guard for many years. Depth on the IOL is always a good thing, though. Brian Parker II, Parker Brailsford, Kage Casey, Febechi Nwaiwu, and Ar’Maj Reed-Adams are Chris’ fifth round IOLs. Chris did a writeup on the last one, Reed-Adams, whom he described as “big, powerful, and nasty.” His problem is that he’s slow, but as a run blocker in a man/gap scheme he might develop into a useful backup.
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Cornerback
The tragedy of this draft is that Jermod McCoy, a probable first-round pick based strictly on talent and performance, was still falling in the draft at the end of Round 3 because of his medical situation.
McCoy had successful ACL surgery, but a cartilage defect repair in the knee may need to be addressed with yet another surgery. Teams have understandably been avoiding him on Days 1 and 2. At some point, though, a team has to take a chance.
The Giants should have learned their lesson in 2021, when they along with every other team kept passing on guard Trey Smith due to an issue with blood clots in his lungs. Five years later, Smith has been one of the NFL’s better interior lineman, while the Giants did not solve their right guard problem until Thursday night when they drafted Francis Mauigoa. When healthy, McCoy is an elite prospect. If he is still on the board at the top of Round 6, the Giants should take a chance on him.
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