The New York Giants finally won a football game, but you’d think the sky was falling.
Sure, the 34-10 Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders came at a cost -- losing their grip on the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft -- but rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart looked every bit like the franchise savior fans and the front office hoped for when they traded up to grab him at No. 25 last spring.
The timing was perfect. With all the noise about whether Dart is the guy, it was good to see that chatter quiet down... at least for now.
Related: Former Pro Bowl QB delivered blunt Jaxson Dart verdict amid Giants noise
Now armed with the second overall pick in the draft, the G-Men are still in a great position to help out their rookie signal-caller. They can -- and should -- look to trade the pick to the highest bidder in the hopes of completely fleecing... sorry, adding more talent around their franchise cornerstone. The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and there is no shortage of QB-needy teams out there.
Which is exactly why I see them making a big move to kick off my latest 2026 seven-round mock draft.
Giants go all-in on Jaxson Dart support in updated 7-round mock draft
**Trade alert**
With the second pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giants... trade it to the Cleveland Browns for the sixth and 28th picks, plus a 2027 first-rounder. Cleveland adds another name to its never-ending list of quarterback experiments with Oregon’s Dante Moore, while Big Blue loads up on assets to give Dart everything he needs to prove he’s the guy moving forward in East Rutherford.
Carnell Tate gives the Giants 1,835 reasons to draft the 6-foot-3 wideout sixth overall, with all of them being Dart needs another reliable target to stretch the field. Tate has elite body control and hands that allow him to win 50-50 balls relatively effortlessly. He can line up inside or out and can become an instant boundary nightmare for opposing defenses.
His skillset is the perfect complement to Malik Nabers' short-intermediate dominance. But the real reason he's going this high is that this team needs another receiving option like a fish needs water. If the organization wants their supposed franchise QB to succeed, trotting out Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Isaiah Hodgins just isn't going to be enough.
Grabbing arguably the best receiver of the class is the perfect way to kickstart this mock.
It was tempting to go with Kadyn Proctor here, but something about big-bodied, Alabama tackles gives me the heebie jeebies. Or maybe that's just Evan Neal. Either way, I went with Miami's right tackle, Francis Mauigoa. He's not small by any means -- 6-foot-6, 335 pounds -- just smaller than Proctor.
Mauigoa is a mauler. It's strength on strength on strength with this guy. And with Jermaine Eluemunor's upcoming free agency, and an overall lack of tackle depth, the American Samoan football star is an easy pickup late in the first round. With Andrew Thomas already occupying the left side, Big Blue's franchise QB needs protection on the right. This would be a no-brainer pick if he lasts this long on Day 1.
The Giants have a linebacker problem on their hands. Micah McFadden is still a solid piece to have, but he's clearly a limited player. Bobby Okereke could be a cap casualty come free agency, saving Big Blue $9 million in 2026 by cutting the seven-year veteran. And Darius Muasau is best suited for break-glass-in-case-of-emergency situations, leaving a pretty big hole to fill in the middle of the defense.
Enter Texas' star underclassman, Anthony Hill Jr.
Athleticism and playmaking ability are the names of his game, utilizing his physical tools to be an every-down linebacker. He's got ideal size for the position (6-foot-3, 238 pounds), but it's his culture-changing prowess that's his true moneymaker. He has the potential to be the leader of the Giants' defense for years to come.
The Giants can't evaluate cornerbacks to save their lives, so how about a wide receiver-turned one? Tacario Davis is a former high school WR who switched to corner permanently as a freshman at Arizona. He played his first three seasons in the desert before transferring to U-Dub.
Davis is a big guy, listed at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, with long arms that help disrupt receivers off the line and at the top of their routes. He’s not exactly known as a ballhawk with just three interceptions in four years in college, but he’s a willing, physical tackler in the run game. That alone makes him a refreshing contrast to Deonte Banks, who’s spent the past three seasons doing everything he can to avoid contact.
Is John Michael Schmitz the long-term answer at center for the G-Men? That's the question the team will need to answer as he enters his fourth and final season under his rookie contract. We clearly don't think so, making Logan Jones a crucial Day 3 pickup.
Jones is coming off a standout season in Iowa City, where he was a unanimous All-American and won the 2025 Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center. If the Giants are serious about putting their quarterback concerns to rest, getting a guy like Jones to snap the ball to Dart is a step in the right direction. At 6-foot-3, he’s an elite athlete with top-tier blocking, durability, and leadership -- three traits that have escaped JMS for three seasons now.
The Giants have an interesting safety duo in Jevón Holland and Tyler Nubin, but the depth behind them leaves a lot to be desired. Enter VJ Payne of Kansas State. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, the 21-year-old is a barnburner with good coverage IQ, leadership qualities, and a hard-hitting style of play.
He'd immediately be the biggest body in the safety room, but it's his experience moving all around the defense that makes him an intriguing play here -- the Gainesville, GA native spent time in the slot and inside the box, along with free safety.
Depending on what the G-Men do with Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz this offseason, they might need to replenish the tight end room. The team drafted Thomas Fidone II out of Nebraska last year in the seventh round, but he spent most of the season on IR with a foot injury. Consider Roush a moderately high-level insurance play in the sixth round.
The starting role is Theo Johnson's, but he could use some help -- and so could Dart. Bellinger and Manhertz are almost exclusively in-line tight ends, although Bellinger has shown some receiving promise at times. The Stanford Cardinal has role-player written all over him, with solid size (6-foot-5, 260 pounds), and a good mix of blocking-to-receiving potential.
He may not be the prettiest blocker, but he's definitely in the conversation for most physical, and in the sixth round, who cares about optics? Reed-Adams has elite size, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 325 pounds.
Big Blue can end either one of the Jon Runyan or Greg Van Roten experiments, as the Aggie has experience playing both guard spots as well as some time at tackle. He's not athletic, but he's tough to move. His low base makes him nearly impossible to beat in one-on-one situations, making him a great flier choice here, late in the draft.