The New York Giants' preseason win over the Miami Dolphins exposed that the Giants may have stumbled upon one of the biggest steals of the 2026 NFL Draft. New York took Illinois tackle JC Davis in the sixth round in April's draft, and he's offering way more value than that of a 192nd overall pick.
After a rough preseason debut, Davis was one of the standouts of the Giants' second preseason game--a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins. He took all 81 reps at left tackle and impressed to the point that John Harbaugh seemed to take notice of what he accomplished with that workload.
While addressing the media via Zoom on Sunday morning, the rookie tackle was one of the players that Harbaugh was individually asked about regarding his performance on Saturday, and he acknowledged the amount of playing time he got doesn't happen often, but he still sang his praises.
“He had a lot of plus plays," Harbaugh said. "He graded out very well, you know, and that’s a big step in his development for sure, also in us gaining confidence in his ability to go in there and do good things in a game.”
JC Davis impressed John Harbaugh in preseason Week 2 against the Dolphins
It's not all that often you see a rookie lineman not only get that many snaps in a preseason game, but do so in such heat and humidity, so Harbaugh is right to be impressed with what they saw out of him, especially considering this is the second NFL game they've seen from him--even if it's the preseason.
The other thing Harbs mentioned is that Davis graded out well, and that's putting it lightly. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted an 89.3 overall grade, an 87.1 pass-blocking grade, and an 87.0 run-blocking grade, all of which led the 32 players who played on offense for the Giants--and the only players who graded out better than him on the day were Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin.
Big Blue has never been a team to hit big on their late-round draft picks, but the Super Bowl-winning head coach realizes that may finally be changing. Knowing that New York has more of a reason for him to go out there and offer quality snaps is a big plus considering the lack of OL depth in recent seasons.
John Harbaugh has always built his teams through the trenches, so seeing JC Davis anchor the toughest position on the offensive line in just his second taste of NFL action is the evidence this team needs to trust him to take on more snaps--and potentially become the Giants' backup left tackle.
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