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There is a lot to criticize about New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen, but he has so far been on point in his approach to the NFL Draft. The 2025 NFL Draft has recently concluded, but recruiting is a year-round business, with the team's attention now focused on 2026.
New York left with seven players at the 2025 NFL Draft, led by a pair of first-rounders in Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart. The class was met with near-unanimous praise from the fan base, particularly with late-round gems Cam Skattebo and Marcus Mbow added to the mix. After nailing his 2024 draft class, Schoen continues to flex his muscles in April, even if he falls short in several other areas.
Each team's 2026 draft picks remain conditional, but the Giants are slated to enter the upcoming event with seven more picks. New York gave up a couple of selections to trade up for Dart, but regained a sixth-round pick in a deal that sent retired tight end Darren Waller to the Miami Dolphins.
The Giants will have one pick each in Round 1, 2, 4 and 5, followed by three selections in Round 6. However, with Schoen making a draft-day deal in three of his four drafts, it would not be surprising to see that list change before the picks are made.
Despite being a full year away, New York has clear areas to address next summer. With the 2026 NFL Draft already on tap, the Giants need to keep an eye on a few players more than the rest during the 2025 college football season.
LB CJ Allen, Georgia
The Giants' linebacking corps is arguably the weakest position group on the roster, and it could get worse in 2025. Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden return to anchor Shane Bowen's defense, but the latter will enter the final year of his rookie deal. McFadden led the team with 107 stops in 2024, his second consecutive 100-tackle season, and could be in store for a significant pay increase with another strong outing.
If McFadden leaves, veteran Bobby Okereke, who was criticized for his purported lack of effort in 2024, will be the last man standing. Perhaps 2024 sixth-round pick Darius Muasau takes another leap in year two, but Schoen will likely feel compelled to add to the group in the draft.
Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. is the consensus top linebacker of the 2026 draft class, but he seems out of the Giants' reach. Many believe Hill will be a top-10 pick in 2026, which, if New York even shows an ounce of improvement in 2025, will not fall in Schoen's range. Even if it does, the Giants will likely have bigger issues to address than taking a linebacker.
If the Giants target a linebacker in Round 1, Georgia's CJ Allen figures to be their best bet. After posting 76 tackles as a sophomore in 2024, Allen is a consensus top-three linebacker in the country entering 2025. Allen's tackle count was just one shy of safety Malaki Starks for the team lead, a role he should comfortably take as a junior.
With former teammates Starks, Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams moving on to the NFL, Allen will be the clear star of the Bulldogs' defense in 2025. Georgia has had a linebacker taken within the first three rounds in four of the last five NFL Drafts.
WR Eric Singleton, Auburn
After two 700-plus-yard seasons at Georgia Tech, Eric Singleton entered the 2025 college football transfer portal as the top available wideout. Singleton opted to transfer to Auburn, where he will get his best chance to showcase his true potential with former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Singleton is preparing for just his third season of college football, but another strong season could already make him a potential first-round pick. Despite committing to Georgia Tech as a mere three-star recruit, Singleton was a unanimous freshman All-American in 2023 and improved on his numbers in 2024. Should he declare for the draft, Singleton would likely be a Day Two prospect, but some already see him as the class of 2026's top wide receiver prospect.
The Giants are already set at receiver, with Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton locked in for years to come. However, slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson will hit free agency in 2026, potentially forcing Schoen to seek a replacement next summer.
Singleton's 5-foot-11 frame is one of the biggest knocks on his draft profile, making him more of a slot receiver than a wideout. But if Robinson leaves, or if Schoen simply decides to move on, Singleton would fit right into the Giants' offense and give the team an intriguing three-man tandem.
New York desperately needs offensive playmakers, and Singleton is one of the best in the 2026 draft class. He has elite hands and is dynamic after the catch, making him an ideal prospect to pair with Dart long-term.
OT Spencer Fano, Utah
Offensive line is the one area the Giants failed to address in the 2025 offseason, making it one of their top concerns for the upcoming season. Aside from adding Mbow to the group, New York will functionally return with the same unit that ranked 26th in pass-block win rate and 27th in run-block win rate in 2024.
With All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas missing a career-high 11 games in 2024, the Giants are banking on consistency to get them through the 2025 season. However, they will need to re-evaluate in the 2026 offseason, regardless of what happens throughout the year.
New York will likely have to revamp its tackles in 2026, with Jermaine Eluemunor, Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu hitting free agency. Thomas is signed through the 2029 season, but the Giants will likely need to find a new starting right tackle in the ensuing NFL Draft. Utah's Spencer Fano, who enters 2025 as PFF's highest-rated offensive tackle in college football, will likely be a first-round prospect whom Schoen should target.
The Giants' offensive line always needs help, and Fano is the type of prospect who can form an elite pairing with Thomas. Fano is an above-average pass-blocker, but an elite run-blocker, which is where the Giants need the most help. Despite a promising rookie season from Tyrone Tracy Jr. in 2024, New York has been criticized for its horrific run-blocking since Saquon Barkley commanded the backfield.
Schoen added to the backfield by acquiring Skattebo in 2025, giving the team a young, exciting duo for the next few seasons. While Tracy and Skattebo perfectly complement each other, they could be severely limited without adequate support up front. The Giants cannot afford to waste another game-changing offensive weapon the way they did with Barkley for years.
OG Cayden Green, Missouri
As much help as the Giants' exterior offensive line needs, their interior blockers are in an even worse position. New York hopes Mbow can take over one of the slots, but for now, it re-signed 35-year-old Greg Van Roten to start in 2025. Van Roten inked a one-year deal after briefly mulling retirement, suggesting he could be in for one final year.
If the Giants choose to address their void at guard in the 2026 NFL Draft, Cayden Green is their best bet. New York's interior line struggled with pass protection in 2024, an area in which Green thrived. In two seasons with Oklahoma and Missouri, Green has only allowed one sack in 676 total pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. Green was also one of just six Power Four guards with a pass blocking and run blocking grade higher than 75 on PFF.
Green struggled in run-blocking as a freshman, posting a dreadful 49.8 PFF run-blocking grade. However, he adequately addressed the issue in 2024, receiving a vastly improved 75 PFF run-blocking grade as a sophomore.
Even if Mbow pans out, the Giants need more than one long-term answer. Jon Runyan currently occupies the starting role with Van Roten, but ranked 94th out of 136 total guards on PFF in 2024. Runyan is innately durable — he missed four games in 2024, the first time in his five-year career he missed a game — but is merely average on the field.
For the first time in over a decade, the Giants have a genuinely promising young offensive core, featuring Dart, Tracy, Skattebo, and Nabers. They cannot let the opportunity wither away behind a weak offensive line.
CB Chandler Rivers, Duke
The Giants' secondary was a massive issue in 2024, but they could not have addressed it better in the 2025 offseason. New York's two biggest defensive signings, Jevon Holland and Paulson Adebo, will immediately improve the unit, giving the team a top-10 defensive roster.
Adebo will be the franchise's first true lockdown cornerback in a while, but he does not solve all the issues. Former first-round pick Deonte Banks, who struggled mightily in 2024, is still slated to start. Banks showed promise as a rookie and figures to perform better next to Adebo, but is still a defender opposing teams will target after his putrid 2024 campaign.
The 2024 season will be a do-or-die year for Banks, meaning New York needs to already have backup plans in place. With Adebo signing a three-year, $54 million deal, Schoen is likely unwilling to make another sizeable investment in 2026. The Giants will have to find their answer in the draft, where Duke's Chandler Rivers needs to be on the team's radar.
As arguably the most underrated defensive back in college football, Rivers tied 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron as PFF's highest-rated Power Four cornerback in 2024. Though slightly undersized, he has elite instincts and plays with a physical mindset that allows him to compete with much larger wideouts. Rivers fully broke out in 2024, during which he allowed a 64.3 passer rating and 51 percent completion rate when targeted.
Bowen, who played safety at Georgia Tech, is an elite secondary coach. He was a linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator, but built an annual top-10 secondary with the Tennessee Titans before joining Daboll's staff. Bowen is close to doing the same in New York, and a player like Rivers could round out his group.
