In less than a month, we will know how the entire draft unfolded. As we count down the days until the draft, we’re releasing one seven-round mock draft for all 32 NFL teams, and now it’s time for the New York Giants.

For the New York Giants, this isn’t just another draft; it’s a critical opportunity to fix the long-standing issues on the offensive line and in the secondary. Will the Giants finally build a fortress for their quarterback, or will they add a blue-chip defender to a secondary in need of a star?

In the meantime, you can also check out EssentiallySports’ other mock drafts on the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans, so now we’re going to see how the draft unfolds for the Giants.

Round 1, Pick 5: S Caleb Downs

Caleb Downs is a generational prospect at safety, and I hate throwing around that term, but it’s true. He has a case for being the best overall player in this draft class, and if he played edge rusher or some other premium position, he’d be a lock to go in the top two to three picks. But even with him playing safety, I have him going fifth overall to the Giants.

Downs can do everything you want a safety to do. He can drop back and play deep coverage, he can line up man-to-man, and he can come down and defend the run. He’s earned an 80+ coverage, run defense, and defensive grade in all three seasons, and he’s done it against the best of the best in the SEC and Big 10.

The Giants would be hoping to replicate the defensive impact Kyle Hamilton has had in Baltimore; Downs is a very similar player who could become a cornerstone for New York’s defense for a decade-plus.

Round 2, Pick 37: OG Emmanuel Pregnon

Emmanuel Pregnon’s pass-blocking prowess is nearly flawless; across 1,621 career snaps at three different schools, he has surrendered just a single sack—which came as a true freshman—and gave up only three pressures in the entire 2025 season. He is an incredible pass blocker, and there isn’t as big a gap between him and Olaivavega Ioane as many people think.

Pregnon has also made massive strides as a run blocker. In 2025, he posted an 88.3 run blocking grade, which was 14 points higher than his second-best grade, which came when he was a true freshman at Wyoming.

The Giants need interior offensive line help, and Pregnon can give it to them. He should be a starter in the league for 10+ years.

Round 4, Pick 105: WR Bryce Lance

There is a lot to like about Bryce Lance. He’s 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, had 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The only knock is that he played at North Dakota State in the FCS, so he didn’t really face the toughest competition.

I don’t think that’s too big of a deal, though. Lance has all the tools to be an above-average NFL receiver, and it’s not like the Giants would need him to be a superstar. They already have a true WR1 in Malik Nabers; they just need to find another guy to pair with him, and Lance could be that guy in the beginning of the fourth round.

Round 5, Pick 145: LB Taurean York

Taurean York has been a starter for Texas A&M ever since he stepped foot on the field as a true freshman. He played three years of college ball and is just 20 years old, but he already has over 1,800 snaps of playing experience and 228 tackles in his career. You don’t find players as young as him with that much production and experience all that often.

The biggest knock on York is his size; at 5-foot-10 and 227 pounds, he falls well short of the prototypical 6-foot-1, 235+ pound frame teams look for in an NFL linebacker. He was able to get away with being undersized in college, but once you get to the NFL and the players are bigger and stronger, it’s going to be tough for him.

York makes up for his lack of size with energy and physicality, but he’s never going to be an every-down linebacker. He can be a really good rotational player on a team that needs linebacker depth, though.

Round 6, Pick 186: OL Keagen Trost

Keagen Trost is one of the highest-graded offensive players in the NFL Draft, according to PFF, but he’s not projected to come off the board until the fifth or sixth round. He’s already 24 years old, which is a turnoff for most teams, and his arms fall below the 33-inch threshold (32 3/8 inches), teams like despite being 6-foot-5. There’s a good chance he moves to the interior at the NFL level, and if that transition works out, he could be a late-round steal.

Trost puts his massive 6-foot-5, 311-pound frame to good use, as evidenced by his lone season at Missouri, where he allowed just one sack and posted a career-high 91.7 run-blocking grade. He has the skills, but he’s still a work in progress. Still, I’d take a gamble on him in the sixth round.

Round 6, Pick 192: CB Thaddeus Dixon

Thaddeus Dixon has been a really solid cornerback throughout his entire college career. He’s never allowed higher than a 63.6 percent completion rate or more than 276 yards, and he’s only allowed three touchdowns over the last two seasons. He also has the ideal size for a corner at 6-foot-1, but he’s been injured.

In 2025, Dixon suffered an upper-body injury that caused him to miss a good portion of the season, and then at the NFL Combine, where he posted a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump, he tweaked his hamstring. He is not a sixth-round talent, but his injury history may force him to slide a little bit.

Round 6, Pick 193: DT Rayshaun Benny

The Giants need to add some depth to the interior of their defensive line, so I have them using their final pick in the draft to select Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny.

The former Wolverine isn’t a great pass rusher, totaling just 43 pressures and four sacks in his five-year career, but he’s always been a pretty good run defender. He’s pretty big at 298 pounds, so he can swallow up running lanes and provide some quality depth at DT.