If the season ended today, the New York Giants would own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It's given Joe Schoen options about what to do with the top pick, but Jaxson Dart's impressive rookie season has made it incredibly likely the Giants end up fielding offers should their draft position hold.
If the G-Men end up picking first in April, it would be the best-case scenario. Several quarterback-needy teams across the league would come calling, and many of them would offer a haul for the chance to draft Fernando Mendoza, and one of those interested teams also plays at MetLife Stadium.
Related:Fernando Mendoza could force Giants into uncomfortable Jaxson Dart decision
In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Field Yates had the Giants trading the No. 1 pick to the New York Jets, who selected Mendoza with the pick. The G-Men and the Jets don't make trades often, but this one would undoubtedly be the biggest trade between the two teams in league history.
Field Yates pitches cross-town draft trade between Giants and Jets in latest mock draft
In return for the top pick, Big Blue received the No. 7 and No. 18 picks (which the Jets got from the Sauce Gardner trade), and a Day 2 selection. With the surplus of glaring needs on this roster, multiple players could expedite this rebuild far more than replacing Dart with Mendoza ever would,
With the seventh pick, Yates had the Giants selecting Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson, who is arguably the most dynamic wideout in the daft class. Regardless, Tyson is an elite big-body receiver with fantastic body control and would fit perfectly alongside Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson.
Tyson is in a battle with Ohio State's Carnell Tate to be the first receiver drafted, and his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame could provide Dart with the red zone threat he's missed with Nabers injured, and could slot in as WR2 immediately if Robinson leaves in free agency this coming offseason.
But with the 18th pick, Yates had the Giants selecting Clemson cornerback Aveion Terrell, the young brother of Falcons' cornerback A.J. Terrell. His 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame is on the smaller side, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in both inside-out versatility and elite playmaking ability.
The secondary is full of red flags with Deonte Banks struggling and the Paulson Adebo signing looking like a bust, so adding Terrell to a secondary room with a surplus of talent would add another blue chip talent at another position of need, which would benefit whoever the Giants' new DC will be.
This is the best case scenario for the Giants' rebuild, as the decision to move down could help them land an impact player on each side of the football.