There has been a lot of smoke this offseason about a possible reunion between the New York Giants and Odell Beckham Jr., and on Monday, the NFL world finally saw a flame. New York Post NFL reporter Ryan Dunleavy shared that Beckham was in the Giants’ building on Monday for a workout and physical. That makes it clear that New York is seriously interested in bringing the veteran wideout back.
While multiple reporters have since said that a signing isn’t imminent, it’s clearly an option on the table for the Giants. There will be plenty of storylines that emerge if Beckham does return to New York, but for now, the biggest question is how does the Giants’ interest in Beckham affect the 2026 Draft. The first round kicks things off on Thursday, and New York has two top-10 picks; should a possible Beckham reunion have any influence on who the team does or doesn’t take?
The simple answer is no. While Beckham could return to the Giants and possibly add some impactful contributions, the reality is that he’s a 33-year old receiver on the wrong side of his prime and significant injuries. It’d be foolish for New York to factor Beckham into its draft decisions. However, the fact that the team is exploring adding him could be a sign of what the Giants’ actual draft plans are.
While everyone is assuming New York will select some combination of a defender and wide receiver with its two top-10 picks, the franchise may be hoping for something different.
Giants interest in Odell Beckham Jr. could be a sign they aren’t locked on drafting a receiver in top 10
When New York traded away defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence for the 10th-overall pick, everyone immediately started connecting the dots to wide receiver prospect Jordyn Tyson. To be fair, it makes a ton of sense. The Giants can use another receiver, and the franchise has spent a lot of time getting to know Tyson. Taking one of the top defenders at five and circling back for Tyson at 10 would be a home run first round for New York.
The team could also just decide to select two top defensive prospects, which would still be addressing two major needs. The Giants could also explore taking an offensive lineman with one of those picks, which is seemingly always a need in the NFL. While New York’s plan won’t be clear until draft night, it seems to be obvious that the franchise isn’t locked in on landing a wideout like everyone thought.
If that was the case, the Giants wouldn’t have had Beckham in for a workout and physical. Obviously, the veteran receiver doesn’t have the upside of the top prospects in the draft, but New York already has Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, and Calvin Austin III. If the Giants were locked onto a receiver prospect, they definitely wouldn’t have wasted Beckham’s time with a visit, because it’s unlikely he gets added to the group if a wideout is drafted. So it seems like all options are on the table for New York in the draft.
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