The New York Giants just put together one of their best draft classes in years (on paper). And somehow, that might be the worst possible thing for general manager Joe Schoen.
It almost feels ironic, right? A draft that checked basically every box, lined up exactly with what the team needs to look like under new head coach John Harbaugh, and instead of quieting the noise around the much-maligned GM, it actually raised uncomfortable questions about who’s really in charge and making the decisions.
Despite the G-Men coming away with arguably the best defensive prospect in Arvell Reese and the top offensive line prospect in Francis Mauigoa, Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News reported that there are people around the league who believe Joe Schoen could be out as soon as this week:
"But you talk to people in the league, it feels like anything is on the board right now. There are people in the NFL who think Joe Schoen could be fired this week."
And this comes right after a draft most are calling a home run. This league is ruthless.
Giants’ 2026 draft classhas John Harbaugh's finger prints all over it -- and that’s a problem for Joe Schoen
Let's start with the pattern. This class mirrors how Harbaugh has built teams for years -- bigger bodies, multi-positional defenders, and an emphasis on controlling the line of scrimmage and playing physical.
Reese fits that as a movable defensive chess piece who can play upright, hand in the dirt, or off-ball. Mauigoa fits it as a long-term answer up front in whatever position they need him to play. That's the benefit of adding a 6-foot-6, 330-pound athletic steamroller to the offensive line.
I mean, even consider the Colton Hood selection with the 37th pick. If that's not the Harby-est of Harbaugh moves, I don't know what is.
When every pick lines up with Harbs' vision, it’s fair to ask how much of this came from the coaching side and how little came from the GM's. Because the question marks don't stop with how the draft shook out. Dawn Aponte, Senior Vice President of Football Operations and Strategy, who Harbaugh brought in earlier this offseason, plays a major role in cap strategy and contracts and was heavily involved in how the Dexter Lawrence negotiations played out.
So if the head coach is driving the roster vision and decision-making (and coming away with one of the most impressive draft classes in recent memory), and Aponte is handling the financial and contracts side, what is Schoen actually doing that's helping the team?
That’s where this gets very uncomfortable. Because a front office can’t operate long-term with overlapping authority at the top. Redundancy kills progress. It was surprising they kept Schoen on with a coach like Harbs coming in in the first place, but they might’ve only needed a few months together to realize the team can do just fine without him.
Right now, the ink is barely dry on what could be the most impactful draft class this team has seen in a minute, and it’s already making it harder to ignore what Schoen's role on the team actually is.
Add us as a preferred source on Google