If the season ended today, the New York Giants would own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After their 2025 draft class has looked like a smashing success, fans are excited, especially if Joe Schoen and Big Blue are able to trade the pick to a QB-needy team for a boatload of draft picks in return.
That's the most likely scenario, and that's exactly what Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema had going down in his latest mock draft. Sikkema had the Giants trading down with the Los Angeles Rams for Fernando Mendoza, but more interesting is the direction he had the Dallas Cowboys going with their first-rounder.
With the No. 15 pick, he had Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love falling into Dallas' lap. Love is undoubtedly the best running back in the nation and has been regarded as a potential top-10 pick this draft, so if he lands with an explosive Cowboys' offense, it might be the Giants' worst nightmare.
Cowboys upstage Giants' shocking trade down in PFF mock draft by drafting Jeremiyah Love
Even though the Fighting Irish failed to make the College Football Playoff, it doesn't change the fact that Love took the nation by storm this season. The 20-year-old back ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this season and is heralded as one of the best draft prospects at RB in recent memory.
Moreover, Love did all of this while splitting carries with Jadarian Price, another one of the top running back prospects in this draft class. That's why it was no surprise when he was the only non-quarterback invited to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist alongside Mendoza, Julian Sayin, and Diego Pavia.
Something that many college football fans forget about the Missouri native is that he doesn't just do damage on the ground. Like many top running backs in the modern NFL, he brings a three-down skillset and elite explosiveness as both a runner and receiver that defenses will have to key in on.
However, if Dallas were to use a first-round pick on a running back, it would be perplexing. The Cowboys signed Javonte Williams in free agency in the offseason and helped revive his career, as he ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing yards, and has more rushing yards than ex-Giant Saquon Barkley.
Despite his breakout season, the 25-year-old is set to be a free agent this offseason, which means Jerry Jones could let him walk in free agency, And if that happens, it could pave the way for Dallas to add another elite weapon for Dak Prescott, because apparently CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens isn't enough to give Giants fans a fit despite their many defensive needs.