It's been a little over two years since the New York Giants swung a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers for three-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Brian Burns, and while the 2026 Draft class didn't directly contribute to the overall result of the trade, it indirectly made Joe Schoen look like General Manager of the Year because of how it's positioned the team moving forward.
Big Blue sent a 2024 second-round pick (No. 39), a 2025 fifth-round pick, and a 2024 fifth-round pick swap (No. 141 for No. 166) for Burns. We already have the finalized details -- those became concrete following the 2025 Draft:
- The 39th pick became Braden Fiske (subsequently traded to the Rams)
- The 2024 fifth swap (141st pick) became Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (subsequently traded to the Bills)
- The 2025 fifth (140th pick) became Cam Jackson
- The 2024 fifth swap for the Giants (166th pick) became Tyrone Tracy Jr.
So what does this have to do with the 2026 Draft? Having Tracy Jr. in the running back room likely played a big role in the G-Men not going all-in on Notre Dame superstar RB Jeremiyah Love, allowing them to stay put at No. 5 and take the best player available.
And because they already had Burns locking down the No. 1 pass-rusher spot, that best player ended up being Arvell Reese, who now gets to play more off-ball, which, according to NFL analyst Chris Simms, is where he’s better than the class’ supposed top green-dot linebacker, Sonny Styles.
The trade is still showing up everywhere you look on this team.
Giants’ Brian Burns trade just keeps looking better and better
As if the return wasn't blatantly one-sided as is, two years later, the G-Men are still benefitting from the fallout.
It always felt like the pre-draft interest in Love from the Giants was more smoke and mirrors than he's their guy. And while we'll never truly know if that was the case or not, they can take solace in the fact their backfield duo is more than enough to keep the ground game spicy.
Tracy Jr. probably won't come close to being the running back that Love will be, but that's okay. In his first two seasons, he's posted back-to-back years with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards. It's not All-Pro-level production, but it's enough to keep defenses honest.
The real value of the Burns trade shows up again with the Reese pick. The naysayers and knee-jerk reaction crowd will roll their eyes at it, thinking the 20-year-old is just a pass rusher.
That’s the easy read. He does have pass-rush ability, but if he entered the draft strictly as a middle linebacker -- which doesn’t exactly help your draft stock (positional value logic, beware) -- he’d be getting the same kind of attention as Luke Kuechly. He’s that good.
At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, he moves well in space and covers ground from sideline to sideline with terminator-like pursuit. He's a defensive demon who triggers downhill quickly against the run, routinely finishes plays, and has the strength to take on blockers without getting displaced. Ohio State used him in multiple roles, and John Harbaugh can easily do the same.
He can play inside on early downs and still factor into the pass rush in sub packages alongside Burns and Abdul Carter.
Meanwhile, the Panthers turned the Fiske pick into Jonathon Brooks, used the Pran-Granger deal to move up for Xavier Legette, and took Cam Jackson at 140. The Giants took them to the cleaners.
While the wins haven’t exactly come with the Burns trade, there’s no denying the Giants are in a much better spot with him leading the pass-rushing charge. Tracy Jr. gave them enough in the backfield to stay put and not chase Love. Burns locked down the edge so they didn’t have to force a pass rusher at No. 5. That left them sitting there with Reese, taking the best player on the board and letting him feast in a role he's built for. That’s what this trade turned into.
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