We are less than a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft.
It’s a busy time as the New York Giants work to finalize their draft board and craft their draft day strategies. Scouts, coaches, and executives are bouncing around the country on the Pro Day tour, as well as hosting prospects on Top 30 visits.
But for us on the outside, however, we’re a bit in the doldrums. Despite everything going on around the NFL, the period between the height of the free agency frenzy and the home stretch before the draft is a rare lull for fans on the NFL’s calendar.
We decided to take a moment to step back and ask fans what position team’s biggest need is as we head towards the draft. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it will — or should be — the team’s first pick, simply what fans feel the biggest need is.
We’ll ask you who you think the Giants should draft at fifth overall as we get closer to the draft (right now LB Sonny Styles is the betting favorite at +210 per FanDuel) but it’s better to start with the big picture.
The results this week are ultimately interesting, but not unsurprising.
It isn’t surprising that Giants fans feel the interior offensive line is the team’s biggest need, considering they don’t have a clear starter at right guard. Both Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu will (apparently) compete for that spot, and while they showed promise as guards last summer, it was a small sample size.
Ezeudu lost the 2025 season to a calf injury while Neal was exiled to the bench despite a promising preseason. So while the small sample was encouraging, there’s no definitive proof that either is a long-term answer at guard and Aaron Stinnie is an uninspiring safety net.
The concerns regarding the Giants’ interior defensive line are likely more related to depth than anything else. Dexter Lawrence was still dealing with his elbow injury last year, but should be expected to return to form in 2026. Likewise, Darius Alexander played much better after Charlie Bullen took in the second half of the year.
But even with the signing of DT Sam Roberts and the potential signing of DT Shelby Harris, the depth chart of Roy Robertson-Harris, Marlon Tuipolotu, and Elijah Chatman could be an issue.
It’s also both expected and interesting that there’s little concern for the offense beyond the right guard position. After all, despite incredibly heavy investment — to the point where the Giants could have 8 first round picks vying for starting jobs if they select a defender in the first round this year — the defense was fans’ pain point last year.
The Giants were able to manufacture offense thanks to Jaxson Dart, Wan’Dale Robinson, Tyrone Tracy, and Devin Singletary. The media-wide concern over Jaxson Dart’s perceived recklessness that bordered on a moral panic, seems to have been replaced with a general insouciance. It’s deeply interesting that it’s just assumed the offense will be fine.
The answer seems to be “because Jaxson Dart.”
It’s true that teams often look to franchise quarterbacks to cover warts on their offense and allow them to invest elsewhere. And I do think it says something that fans and the media alike already expect Jaxson Dart to elevate everyone around him despite the fact that the only skill position player drafted before the 4th round is recovering from ACL and meniscus surgery. That’s the kind of faith engendered by the likes of Pat Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Matthew Stafford.
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