Joe Schoen and John Harbaugh wasted no time putting their minds together and putting on an absolute masterclass on how to dominate the draft in their first season together, co-running the New York Giants.
It was definitely a change for Schoen, who has been the de facto keeper of the picks for Big Blue over his five years as the general manager. But that dynamic changed big time, with Harbaugh having just as much say in the decision-making, if not more. What happened next will live in Giants lore for centuries: they put together arguably the best haul in the entire league.
Giants' full seven-round 2026 Draft results:
- Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
- Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa, OL, Miami
- Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
- Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
- Bobby Jamison-Travis, DT, Auburn
- J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois
- Jack Kelly, LB, BYU
As exciting as the draft is for fans, players, and organizations, there is a business side that follows, and most of the time, ramifications come with the picks -- roster moves, financial decisions, etc. Below are six current players who each received a personal message from the incoming class.
Giants' draft picks reveal where these 6 players actually stand
Deonte Banks
Message: Banks' time in North Jersey is coming to an end
Things continue to go from bad to worse with Big Blue’s 2023 24th overall pick. Banks’ roster tumble officially began after losing his starting job to Cor’Dale Flott last year. Making matters worse, earlier this offseason, New York added veteran cornerback Greg Newsome. And now, with the addition of Colton Hood coming via the 37th pick, Banks’ days in Giants blue are officially numbered.
Jalin Hyatt
Message: Hyatt's time is also coming to an end
Jalin Hyatt might actually just be made of glue, seeing as how he keeps sticking around somehow, despite one of the most underwhelming careers a wideout has ever had. Since being drafted in the third round in 2023, the 24-year-old has 36 receptions for 470 yards and no touchdowns.
The G-Men traded back into the third round to get him, and the irony is they traded back into the third round this year to select former Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields, whose addition all but ends Hyatt’s time as a Giant.
Jaxson Dart
Message: The franchise is Dart's
New York didn’t spend a top-10 pick on the best offensive lineman in the class and trade back into the third round to select a wide receiver for a quarterback it didn’t believe in. Dart was never not going to be the team’s guy under center, but there have been some reservations about fully jumping into the “he’s the next franchise quarterback” pool.
With an improved offensive line and a new weapon to throw to, the Giants are buying all the way in with their 22-year-old signal-caller.
Abdul Carter
Message: If Carter can't do it, Arvell Reese can
There’s definitely a part of me that wants to lean into the notion of them becoming twin terrors and a dynamic duo that deletes quarterbacks for the foreseeable future. But I see the pick a little differently. It doesn’t mean the latter won’t happen. Two things can be true.
Carter was just taken third overall last year. If New York were confident he was capable of being the game-wrecker they drafted him to be, then maybe they don’t take Reese fifth, or get a king’s ransom in a trade back. The former Penn State star left a lot to be desired in his rookie campaign, and after four years of waiting on Kayvon Thibodeaux to figure things out, Reese could light a fire under Carter as a 6-foot-4, 241-pound wake-up call.
Darius Alexander
Message: The pressure is on
Trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals was never going to do Darius Alexander any favors in Year 2. But not getting him adequate help via the draft just threw him straight into a pressure cooker. Big Blue took Bobby Jamison-Travis with their 186th pick, but he’s a one-dimensional prospect with conditioning issues, severely minimal pass-rush utility, and difficulty getting off blocks.
That leaves Alexander more alone on the interior than ever. He started his rookie season off slow, but by the end was starting to figure it out. They’re putting a lot of pressure on him to continue that trajectory and fill the Lawrence-sized void remaining in the front seven.
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Message: There's a clear vote of no confidence in Thibodeuax moving forward
Whether the Giants end up trading Thibs or not, the optics of taking another pass-rusher in the top five in back-to-back drafts signal that this team has zero confidence in KT becoming the defensive cornerstone he was drafted to be back in 2022. Schoen has shown a reluctance to trade him, and I don’t think Reese’s arrival changes his stance.
The hang-up there is the return package -- Schoen likely wants more than what other teams are offering. Reese isn’t going to change that.
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