The New York Giants season is almost over, but their week 18 game agaisnt the Dallas Cowboys is just the appetizer to what promises to be a very busy and consequential off-season.
The 2026 NFL Draft process will be running concurrently with the Giants’ off-season process, but how the Giants approach the draft will depend on how the first steps of their off-season play out.
The Giants have to find their next head coach, and he’ll have to assemble his coaching staff. The Giants’ front office will also have to make decisions and engage in negotiations with a whole host of free agents. Their priorities in those negotiations will be determined by the new staff’s scheme and vision for the team as much as filling out the roster.
But we do have to keep one eye on the draft process, as how the draft board shapes up will also inform the later steps of the Giants’ off-season program.
Personally, I think we can take the second round of the College Football Playoffs as the start of that process. And so far it has been a fascinating collection of games.
Mendoza vs. Moore
Fernando Mendoza is generally considered a lock to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, and he’s widely expected to be the first overall pick. That was only reinforced when Indiana took Alabama back behind the woodshed to the tune of 38-3. Mendoza was accurate, efficient, and poised, making “NFL” throws in the face of Alabama’s pressure packages.
But he also might not be the best quarterback in the playoffs, and perhaps not the best quarterback in the upcoming draft class.
That’s because Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is still in the dance, and might be doing enough to make declaring for the drat a real possibility. Moore is a dynamic athlete in the mold of Jayden Daniels, and an excellent pure passer in the pocket. He throws a very catchable ball, and is able to throw with timing, touch, and anticipation. He looks extremely comfortable layering the ball between defenders, even in the face of an excellent Texas Tech defensive front.
Depending on what Moore’s camp is hearing from sources around the NFL, the conversation could shift from whether Moore will declare to whether he or Mendoza will be the first pick.
That could set up a situation similar to the top of the 2016 NFL Draft with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.
If the Giants finish with the second overall pick (which might be the most likely outcome at this point) they could be in a valuable position if both Moore and Mendoza declare.
Don’t sleep on Miami
Indiana’s win over Alabama wasn’t the only statement win of the weekend. If anything, the Miami Hurricanes’ 24-14 win over Ohio State was even more impressive.
Personally, I can’t wait to watch freshman Malachi Toney develop. The former dual-threat quarterback turned receiver/offensive weapon is just dynamic. He has 8 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns this year, while also being a dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands out of the backfield — and as a true wildcat quarterback.
Giants fans should also be watching WR C.J. Daniels as a potential add. He’s a red-shirt senior who has solid size and can be a possession receiver with scoring upside
But that isn’t why I think Miami is dangerous. More than anything, they remind me of the 2007 Giants. They play physical and efficient football on offense, and pair that with a gnarly bully of a defense.
Ohio State is stacked with future NFL players on both sides of the ball, but Miami just beat them up on offense and defense.
Rueben Bain Jr. had a good game, but he didn’t quite put up video game numbers — 3 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack. But he was an absolute force in the game in the same way that Michael Strahan was in his prime. He was disruptive on his own, but also did a great job of creating opportunities for his teammates.
I can’t count Ole Miss out after their wild win over Georgia, but this
Living on the Edge
Speaking of Rueben Bain, this class of pass rushers is potentially awesome. The Miami edges, Bain and Akheem Mesidor, Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Romello Height, Arvell Reese at Ohio State, and Cashius Howell from Texas A&M could all be first round picks. And that doesn’t even take pass rushers like Auburn’s Keldric Faulk and Clemson’s TJ Parker into consideration.
I’ve been a proponent of extending Kayvon Thibodeaux. He’s a well-rounded edge who can be a “glue guy” for your defense, while also being a playmaker who can make game-changing plays (when the refs don’t decide it didn’t happen), and have double-digit sack seasons.
Something like a young Justin Tuck.
However, I can also see an argument for moving him before the draft considering this year’s edge class. It’s entirely possible that the a Giants could find overwhelming value at the position, even after a trade back.
That could be doubly true if the NFL gets hung up on Bain’s arm length, does a stupid, and allows him to drop out of the top 3.
Whether the Giants even consider a move like that, or which edge they might target, would likely depend on the philosophy of their next defensive coordinator.
Oh, and one more thing: I’m definitely glad I chose to highlight Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavien Harris. The big (BIG) man definitely made his presence felt in Ole Miss’ upset won over Georgia.
Expand the playoffs
I want to finish up by taking a 30,000-foot view of the college football playoffs.
Personally, I’m of the opinion that it’s time for the playoffs to expand to 16 teams. I don’t think the bracket should expand beyond that, but that would avoid some of the problems we’ve seen crop up. For starters, there would be room for deserving teams to get in. For starters, that would avoiding extreme mismatches in “regular” bowl games. From a draft perspective, that would also have more “good against good” games with highly regarded prospects opting out to prepare for the draft.
I believe pretty strongly that Duke should have been in the playoffs. They probably would have been bounced in the first round, but winning a conference championship SHOULD punch your ticket to the post season. In snubbing Duke, the selection commitee essentially declared the championship games inconsequential and meaningless if the “wrong” team happens to win.
Likewise, Notre Dame deciding to not participate in any bowl game after being snubbed was a bad look for the school and college football as a whole.
Perhaps more importantly, I think there’s enough evidence now that the bye week demanded by the 12-team bracket is more of a curse than a blessing. Since the bracket expanded to 12 teams, teams with a bye are 1-7, with Indiana being the only top seed to advance in two years. There was an argument last year that a small sample size and mistakes in seeding conspired to make top seeds 0-4. That argument goes out the window with the reigning champions and Georgia getting bounced after their bye.
There are already get two weeks off between Championship Weekend and the first round of the playoffs..
More than that seems to be enough for rest to give way to rust, and that isn’t good for anyone.
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