3 Second-Year Giants Who Need a Strong 2026 Offseason

The New York Giants are starting fresh with John Harbaugh as their head coach, but they are still hoping to build on the 2025 draft class, the latest group added to the team’s foundation.

The Giants drafted some key players during last year's draft, and many of them could have big roles on the 2026 team.

While the hope is for all of last year’s rookies to take a big leap forward in their development, here is a look at three in particular who need big offseasons leading into their second NFL seasons.

DT Darius Alexander

New York Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Giants’ third-round draft pick came from a small school program at Toledo, already projected to have a large learning curve in front of him. That he would miss most of the spring and the OTAs with an undisclosed ailment didn’t help him come out of the gate, despite the talent the team believed he possessed.

For the first 11 weeks of the season, Alexander’s snaps were limited, as he never saw more than 28 snaps in any given week as part of a defensive line rotation. From Week 12 onward, though, he started to see an uptick in his snaps and with it, an increase in his production.

Alexander recorded 3.0 of his 3.5 sacks, three of his four tackles for loss, and four of his six quarterback hits over that span, sparking hope that he had finally begun to turn the corner.

With the Giants having not added to their defensive line in free agency, it’s clear that they are hoping for this second-year player to take a massive step forward and play a larger role on the defensive front.

OT Marcus Mbow

New York Giants guard Marcus Mbow | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mbow was a fifth-round pick by the Giants last season who ultimately passed now former offensive tackle James Hudson III on the depth chart, something that, quite frankly, wasn’t too difficult.

Mbow started three games for the Giants last season, two at left tackle for Andrew Thomas after he injured his hamstring, and one at right tackle for Jermaine Eluemunor.

Mbow only allowed three sacks in 209 pass-blocking snaps, but he also allowed 26 pressures, which gave him a 92.6 pass-blocking efficiency rating.

The former Purdue offensive lineman showed promise, but he also showed a dire need to add some overall strength, which will allow him to better anchor and not be put on rollerskates by oncoming rushers.

The big question regarding Mbow is whether the new coaching staff plans to keep him at offensive tackle or convert him to guard, a position Mbow said he practiced at during the closing weeks of the season.

At best, he could earn a starting spot at right guard; at worst, he will resume his role as the backup swing tackle in his second season.

LB Abdul Carter

New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It sounds crazy to include a first-round pick on this list, but in the case of Abdul Carter, it’s justified.

Carter is another player who got off to a slow start, partially because he apparently didn't understand that what got him drafted third overall didn’t necessarily mean he would have the same success with the same effort he gave in college.

Fortunately for Carter, the light switch went on in the last five weeks of the season. Over that span, he recorded 3.5 out of his 4.0 sacks, six out of seven tackles for loss, and 15 out of 23 quarterback hits while also reinforcing his place in the discussion for “Defensive Rookie of the Year” honors.

Now set to sport a new jersey number that pays homage to where he was drafted, Carter has a golden opportunity to build on what he started toward the end of last season.

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