The New York Giants are at a real crossroads as they head into the 2026 NFL Draft. Every draft pick is very important because the team needs to find its identity and the defense has been cut down to the bone. General Manager Joe Schoen can't fall in love with offensive players when the Giants' biggest problems are on defense. But two prospects, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, are getting a lot of attention in Big Blue draft circles. If New York doesn't stick to its defensive mission, picking either of them would be a disaster.
Let's first talk about the emergency before we go into detail about why Love and Tate are the wrong choices. ESPN says that the Giants' top three draft needs going into April are defensive tackle, guard, and cornerback, in that order. The run defense is even worse: New York gave up 5.3 yards per carry last season, the most in the NFL. That number doesn't just show bad football; it shows a team that gets pushed around at the line of scrimmage week after week.
For years, the interior defensive line has been ignored, and the cornerback room doesn't have the skills to keep up with the modern passing game. If the Giants use early picks on offensive skill players when the defense is this bad, it would be one of the most irresponsible decisions the team has made in a long time.
Why Jeremiyah Love Is the Wrong Luxury
No one is arguing that Jeremiyah Love is an exciting prospect. The Notre Dame back ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025. For the second year in a row, he averaged an amazing 6.9 yards per carry. At the combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at 212 pounds, which gave him a Speed Score of 117.3, putting him in the 82nd percentile. His career PFF Rush Grade is 90.2, which puts him third among all first-round running backs since 2017. He is a generational talent at his position by every standard that can be measured.
The Giants' defense is letting up 5.3 yards per carry, and they want to use a high draft pick to get a running back? The value equation doesn't work. Even the best running backs can't make a weak defensive front better. When your team gives up the most rushing yards per attempt in the league, spending a first-round pick on a running back sends the wrong message to a locker room that needs to be tough and accountable up front.
Love will be a star in the NFL, but not in a Giants uniform that is made to stop the run first. The choice would be the definition of a luxury that the team can't afford.
Why Carnell Tate Creates the Same Problem
Carnell Tate is one of the best wide receivers in the draft class. The Ohio State wide receiver caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025, averaging 17.2 yards per catch and not dropping a single pass all season, according to Pro Football Focus. Tate caught 121 passes for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns in 39 college games. His route running is great, his hands are strong, and his 6'2″, 192-pound frame checks all the boxes for an NFL No. 1 receiver.
But drafting Tate would be the same organizational sin as drafting Love, putting offensive flash ahead of defensive need. Tate's 4.52-second 40-yard dash makes people wonder if he can get open against top corners at the next level. In 2025, he averaged only 4.5 yards after the catch, which means he relies heavily on getting open instead of getting yards by catching passes in traffic or breaking tackles.
There are a lot of good defensive players in the 2026 NFL Draft, especially in the trenches and the secondary. The Giants have the picks and the orders from the league to fix a defense that has always been bad at stopping the run. Jeremiyah Love and Carnell Tate are both good enough to go in the first round, but this isn't the draft and New York isn't the team. Every choice must be aimed at stopping the defense from bleeding. If you don't do this, the process has failed.
