Despite being two months away, a plethora of mock drafts are appearing across the internet, centering around each team’s needs and wants. The New York Giants need upgrades at many positions, especially in the secondary and their wide receiver corps.

College football is well past over, and the draft combine is right around the corner, marking the unofficial opening to the NFL draft in late April. This mock draft will break down the best player at each pick and the value they bring at each position. New York currently has no third or seventh-rounder, but has three sixth-rounders for the 2026 draft.

Round 1, Pick 5: Caleb Downs, Safety (Ohio State)

The Giants need serious secondary upgrades in 2026, despite great performances from Cor’Dale Flott and Andru Phillips. While Mansoor Delane could be an option to allow a trade for Phillips, they need help in the safety spot even more. Dane Belton and Jevon Holland are good pieces, but there is a lack of depth outside of that with Beau Brade and Raheem Layne being the only backups.

Downs should likely be on the board at pick number five, unless the Tennessee Titans or Arizona Cardinals believe they need to address their defenses as well. The Ohio State product is constantly ranked at the top of draft boards, sometimes sliding past the Giants for Delane or for a wide receiver. That would be a critical mistake on the part of the Giants’ front office.

Pointing back to Downs’ last year in college, he wastargeted36 times by opposing quarterbacks and didn’t allow a single touchdown. He also limited wide receivers to just under six yards per catch. Even John Harbaughagreedthat he “favor[s] hall of fame safeties,” so that should give an indication where the team wants to go.

Round 2, Pick 5: Max Iheanachor, Tackle (Arizona State)

One thing the Giants must prioritize during the 2026 offseason is their offensive line, primarily to give Jaxson Dart room to grow and develop in his first full year of play. Re-signing Jermaine Eluemunor is a top priority, but even if he does join, it shouldn’t stop the Giants from getting depth at the position. Iheanachor has a higher ceiling and a solid floor, and could easily beat out Marcus Mbow for any position battle.

It’s a stretch to say he would fall to the second round, given the weak offensive line class and the need for protection, especially with all the dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. Still, NFL’s Lance Zierlein notes he has “good length and excellent lean mass” along with strong run scheme mechanics, something Cam Saktteko could thrive behind.

He does believe that there “is work to do with pass-protection technique,” but that it could be refined. The weaknesses listed in his report suggest that he needs to work on his stance and technical abilities, but has fantastic upside.

The loss of Carmen Bricillo as the offensive line coach and being replaced with Mike Bloomgren does bring questions about how Iheanachor will develop. However, given that Bloomgren has over 25 years of offensive-line experience, despite being on a dismal Cleveland Browns team last year, he should be an interesting wild card.

My Hottest Take: The Giants Should Trade Up In The Third Round

Remember, the Giants have three sixth-round picks they can use to trade up. While they don’t have any other picks lying around outside of that, they could use those two extra picks and a next year’s to trade back into the third round.

This is where you’ll likely see the Giants make a selection for a wide receiver if they don’t in the first two rounds. CBS Sports sees USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane as a Day 2 pick that would fit into the scheme well for the Giants. It could also help them not pay Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency if he’s still there.

They could also pick up a cornerback or a second offensive-line option for depth, but giving weapons to Dart alongside Malik Nabers would be the best thing for the team. It also stops Jalin Hyatt from taking the field and dropping balls left and right.