It is NFL Draft month, otherwise known as April. With the clock ticking down to the first overall selection in the 2026 edition of this yearly tradition, the last-second decisions are starting to rack up.
For the New York Giants, they have the pleasure of picking fifth, which has started to become a blessing and a curse. They have two options at this point, and both are equally appealing. They can pick at five or move down the order and give it up.
Let's focus on why the latter is the better of the two, and why this team does not need to handcuff itself to the fifth pick.
Giants should move back and recoup more draft assets
For Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager Joe Schoen, he will be fielding a lot of calls from prospective buyers of that fifth pick. Looking at the teams in front of the G-Men, Las Vegas is set at first overall, as well as the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans.
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports described this perfectly when looking at the 32 NFL teams and their likelihood to move at the Draft. He had the first four picks staying put and aligned the Giants with moving down.
"The Giants have a plethora of needs, including cornerback, linebacker and wide receiver. They've also been connected to Love here. But what if they get an offer that's too good to refuse? What if a team calls wanting to move up to take, say, Carnell Tate, but the Giants actually have a different wide receiver -- perhaps Jordan Tyson or Makai Lemon -- as their WR1 in this draft? What if a team wants to move up for a premier pass rusher, something New York isn't interested in? Add in that the Giants are down a third-round pick this year after the Dart trade last year, and we have our first prime move candidate."
The Giants do have a lot more needs than what can be fixed with one prospect from the NCAA level. Overall, this team is younger and inexperienced, which means using this top pick to grab an established name or a surplus of second- and third-round picks might be more beneficial.
Had the situation with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence not gotten this messy and pinpointed toward disaster, the decision would have been a little easier. Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame would have been a great pickup, but now, it does not hold the same kind of impact it once did. This team needs more help than that.
Schoen knows that this roster is far from complete, but it is closer than it was at the start of last season. This draft holds a lot of importance, and trading down to plug in the multitude of holes in the boat is better than fixing one that is barely leaking.
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