The 2026 offseason is here for the New York Giants, and with it the lead up to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Now that the draft order of the first 18 picks has been set, The Ringer draft expert Todd McShay released his first mock draft of the off-season early Monday morning.
The Giants will hold the fifth overall pick thanks to their 4-13 record as well as wins by the Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders. McShay
Before we get to the Giants’ pick, let’s set the stage with the first four selections.
- Las Vegas Raiders – Dante Moore (QB, Oregon)
- New York Jets – Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
- Arizona Cardinals – Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
- Tennessee Titans – Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE, Ohio State)
5. New York Giants – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
McShay says:
This offense could really take off with Jaxson Dart at the helm in 2026. I like the idea of giving him an excellent no. 2 receiver opposite a healthy Malik Nabers to pair with a grind-it-out run game led by Cam Skattebo.
Tate was having a monster year before a lower leg injury derailed his season in November. He improved his contested catch rate from 60 percent in 2024 to 85.7 percent in 2025 and has been one of my biggest risers of the college season.
Chris’ Thoughts
I can’t help but agree with McShay that the Giants offense could be an absolute blast next year. That obviously depends on getting the coaching hire right and that coach installing an offense that allows Jaxson Dart to play free and easy.
I also can’t argue too loudly against taking Carnell Tate here, not after advocating that the Giants trade for Garrett Wilson at the 2025 trade deadline. I strongly believe that the best way to protect Dart is to give him the weapons to be aggressive without feeling as though he needs to do it all himself.
For his part, Tate has great length (6-foot-3, 200 pounds, estimated) excellent hands, ball skills, and body control. He’s an NFL-ready route runner who’s already gotten excellent coaching from Brian Hartline at Ohio State. There might be some concerns that Tate doesn’t quite have the measurables and rare athleticism to warrant a Top 5 pick, though I doubt the Giants would complain if he develops into a Tee Higgins (4.53-sec 40 yard dash) or A.J. Green (4.50-sec 40 yard dash).
Tate finished the season with 875 yards (17.2 per catch), 9 touchdowns, with no drops. He also finished 33rd in deep catches and 37th in deep yardage, per PFF.
Adding Tate to Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Theo Johnson, and Tyrone Tracy (who is the only skill position player from the 2024 draft to have back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons) would make for a dangerous offense. That could get even better if Wan’Dale Robinson and Daniel Bellinger are re-signed.
The Giants would still need to address right guard, and potentially right tackle if Jermaine Eluemunor isn’t re-signed, but those spots could be filled more economically through free agency or in later rounds.
I understand those who would want to draft a defender or offensive lineman at this spot. I’ll write about this more soon — as in later today — but I’m not sure the Giants haven’t landed in a no-man’s land as far as need and value are concerned.
Stepping back a bit, it’s incredibly interesting that McShay has Oregon quarterback Dante Moore going first overall to the Raiders. McShay is well-connected at both the collegiate and NFL levels, and isn’t shy about incorporating what he’s hearing into his predictions. The bigger news here is Moore being in his mock draft at all, after McShay has said on multiple occasions that he believes Moore — a 20-year old red-shirt sophomore with one season of starting experience — should return to school.
Right now, the more quarterbacks that declare, the better for the Giants.
See the full mock draft here.
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