As the 2026 NFL draft commences on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, the New York Giants enter with significant momentum following their trade of All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick.
Equipped with two selections in the top 10 (Nos. 5 and 10) and a total of eight picks, head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen possess substantial resources to accelerate the rebuild around quarterback Jaxson Dart.
With the final seconds finally ticking off the clock, Giants Wire presents its final mock draft of the 2026 offseason.
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We used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator for this exercise and left all settings on default, including the big board being set to PFF's rankings. We controlled only the New York Giants and projected all seven rounds.
While there were trade options available, most of them would have pushed the Giants outside of the top 12, leaving them with precious few prospects with first-round grades (roughly 13-15 in this draft). With a second first-round pick now in tow, the Giants stay at No. 5 and land the versatile off-ball Sonny Styles, who can also pitch in at safety.
A three-year starter at Ohio State, Styles played weakside linebacker in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s 4-2-5 base scheme (and wore the green dot in 2025). After playing multiple safety roles for two seasons, he transitioned to linebacker as a junior and then became an All-American as a senior, combining for 182 tackles over his final two seasons. He was awarded the “Block O” jersey in 2025 and voted a senior captain (receiving the most votes on the team).
Styles is a freaky height/weight/speed athlete with fluid change of direction and the playmaking range to cover every blade of grass. He processes quickly and delivers pop at contact as a downhill player, rarely missing tackles thanks to his ability to violently overwhelm the ball carrier. Though he plays with terrific reaction quickness, the next step in his development is to improve his anticipation, especially in coverage, so he can make more plays on the football.
Again, there were trade proposals, but with Francis Mauigoa still on the board, the decision felt simple. While the Giants will still go pickless in Round 3, they add a second Day 1 starter in Mauigoa, who is willing, capable, and likely to shift inside to right guard, solving that issue for Big Blue.
A three-year starter at Miami, Mauigoa was a mainstay at right tackle in offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s balanced scheme. A former five-star recruit, he earned a starting role from day one and started all 42 games the past three seasons (he led the Hurricanes in snaps played in both 2024 and 2025). A consensus All-American his final season, he was a pivotal part of Miami’s run to the 2025 national title game and became the first Miami player since 2005 (Eric Winston) to earn the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC’s top blocker.
A wide-bodied blocker and “Freaks List” alum, Mauigoa carries his weight well. He doesn’t have elite length or foot quickness, but he plays with a relaxed feel in space to mirror and put rushers in a vise. He stays centered in pass sets and has a sturdy anchor to make defenders pay for trying to go through him. He gets in trouble lunging in the run game but plays stout through his extension to seal inside/outside run lanes.
Once a surefire top-5 pick, Peter Woods slides down the draft boards a bit following an inconsistent 2025 season. That ends up benefiting the Giants, who land their Dexter Lawrence replacement. He will likely have some rookie struggles, but with the right coaching and development, Woods can transform into a long-time starter and potential Pro Bowl talent.
A two-and-a-half-year starter at Clemson, Woods shuffled up and down the line in defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s four-man front. After earning Freshman All-American honors in 2023, he received All-ACC honors in each of the last two seasons. He was tabbed as a potential top-five draft pick entering his junior season, but he struggled to match that hype in 2025, posting up-and-down tape and poor production (14 pressures, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks over 12 games).
Draft projections for Woods will depend on a team’s willingness to grade to his flashes. He moves with big-man twitch and has the foot quickness to elude blocks in tight quarters. However, for a player with his explosive traits, he doesn’t have many quick wins on his tape and needs to learn how to diversify his rush approach. But he consistently saw four hands from blockers each snap and produced enough splash plays to believe he will be a more stable player in the future.
The Giants have taken a broad approach at wide receiver, replacing the departed Wan'Dale Robinson with a multitude of low-risk, high-reward players. They add to that group here, selecting the 6-foot-4 Malachi Fields, who gives Big Blue a legitimate red zone threat.
A one-year starter at Notre Dame (and three-year starter overall), Fields was the boundary receiver in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s scheme. A high school quarterback, he transitioned well to receiver at Virginia before transferring to the Irish for his final season in 2025. His targets and production took a nosedive with a freshman at quarterback (he didn’t record a 100-yard receiving game in 2025), although he produced several memorable plays.
Fields flashes both build-up speed and short-area juice, along with a go-and-get-it gear when the ball is in the air. He displays impressive reflexes at the catch point and deftly takes advantage of every inch of his frame to reel in throws. NFL coaches will like the way he uses his hands and feet to gain a step of separation out of breaks, although they will want to see him expand his route proficiency (there is a healthy amount of hitches and go routes all over his tape).
The Giants sniffed around running backs throughout the offseason and are said to be very high on Jeremiyah Love, but didn't get to call his name in Round 1. They add to the room with Emmett Johnson in the fifth round, which is unlikely to happen come the actual draft (Round 3/Round 4 projection). But hey, we can only play the hands we're dealt in these simulations, so the sure-handed Johnson joins Big Blue.
A two-year starter at Nebraska, Johnson lined up primarily offset in offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s version of the Air Raid. After two seasons in a running back rotation, he had a breakout 2025 season as the only FBS player to average more than 150 scrimmage yards per game. He led the Big Ten with 1,451 rushing yards and became the first running back in Nebraska history to record 100-plus yards both rushing and receiving in the same game.
With his agile cutting skills, Johnson is explosive laterally and has sharp footwork and shifty body movements to give defenders the slip. His feet can get a little bounce happy at times, but he makes it work for him by pressing the line and setting up open-field defenders. Though he runs with determination, his average power will be more noticeable when dealing with NFL contact.