With the 193rd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Jack Kelly, linebacker, BYU. It’s Big Blue’s final pick of the weekend, and his nickname alone is probably enough to have Giants fans rooting for him to stick around.
“Cannonball” is tough to beat.
The Giants went back-to-back with offensive lineman J.C. Davis at No. 192 and now Kelly at 193, wrapping things up with a player who, at the very least, is going to be easy to pull for. And if nothing else, Tampa Bay probably would’ve been a dream destination for him with the whole “Cannonball” pirate marketing opportunities, but tough to walk the plank on an opportunity with the G-Men -- okay, I'm done.
Still, North Jersey isn't a bad place to land.
Giants select BYU LB Jack Kelly with 193rd pick in 2026 NFL Draft
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder brings a little bit of everything, but it starts with how he plays. The nickname didn’t come from a summer at the local pool.
He earned it racing BMX as a kid, flying around tracks with no regard for anything other than crossing the finish line first. That same aggression and fearlessness show up on the field. He plays fast, downhill, and with zero hesitation.
He’s not the biggest linebacker, and there are going to be times when that shows. He misses a decent amount of tackles and overruns plays when he starts moving downhill. But that’s what you sign up for with someone who plays the way he does.
But he also finds his way into the backfield... a lot. That’s where he’s going to have a chance to carve out a role on defense if given the opportunity, especially with a middle linebacker room still finding its pecking order after a total refresh. He could contribute on special teams right away, though. It’s not hard to see him sticking there right away.
One highlight-reel hit, and ‘Cannonball’ is doing the rest of the work for him.
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