Giants Take an Interesting Direction in New 7-Round Mock Draft

While more and more mock drafts have the New York Giants leaning toward the defensive side of the ball, the latest mock draft by Pro Football Reference has the Giants leaning toward a player that hasn’t been linked to Big Blue all that often, thus far in this year’s mock draft season.

Key Takeaways: Were the selections truly the best fits for the Giants?

A new mock draft has the New York Giants taking LB Vell Reese at No. 5—a surprising pick driven by versatility but debated due to positional value and team needs.
The analysis questions the logic behind passing on players like Caleb Downs and argues the Giants still have major needs on the offensive line and in the secondary.
Later-round picks draw criticism regarding fit, with the overall draft strategy seen as inconsistent and potentially misaligned with roster gaps.

T.J. Randall has the Giants selecting Ohio State linebacker Vell Reese with the fifth overall pick in the draft, after Randall had Reese’s college teammate, Sonny Styles, go second to the Jets (which is our concern), and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love go fourth to the Tennessee Titans.

Interestingly, though, Randall passed on Ohio State safety Caleb Downs in this mock draft; Downs went to the Commanders at No. 7.

Why go with Reese?

"After the Giants re-signed Jermaine Eluemunor and Evan Neal to join Andrew Thomas, their needs shifted. John Harbaugh’s prior coaching suggests 'positional value' matters less as a guiding principle. Thus, Love or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs remain feasible options.

“As for Arvell Reese, I had him falling to twelve in my previous seven-round mock draft due to the in-between nature of Reese's game. The value and/or projection of versatility has been miscast in years past for defensive players, mainly because teams have rarely shown the capacity to optimize players’ talents.

“I don’t envision Harbaugh replicating that issue. The off-ball potential, paired with what he offers as a pass rusher, is worth selecting early, particularly relative to the nature of this class.”

Making it make sense

Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Vell Reese (8) gets into position during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

There’s a lot to unpack here in Randall’s explanation, starting with the “needs shifting” comment.

While the re-signing of right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor addressed a big issue on the offensive line, to assume that the Giants giving first-round bust Evan Neal another chance alleviates any further need for offensive line help is erroneous and short-sighted.

Unless the Giants are planning to move Marcus Mbow to guard, they still need an answer at right guard for the future. Neal may or may not be it. Regardless, the offensive line is still very much a need for the team–perhaps not in the first round, but definitely in the second round, where Randall has the Giants grabbing Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion in that spot.

But in getting back to Reese, isn’t it interesting that Randall admitted to slotting the linebacker at No. 12 in a previous iteration of his mock draft only to jump him up seven spots in this one? Is it a forced pick on his part?

Only Randall can answer for sure, but the “in-between” nature that Randall mentions would make one wonder if such a player has a top-10 draft grade among the NFL community and if Randall actually believes that Reese would fit in at No. 5, given how the rest of his board fell.

One point that Randall makes that does make sense is his note about Reese’s versatility as an off-ball linebacker who can also rush the passer.

If the Giants are looking to move on from Kayvon Thibodeaux, someone like Reese might be able to provide what the Giants would be giving up in terms of the pass rush.

If Reese also shows promise as a run defender, the move could make some more sense, again, if the plan is to move Thibodeaux for additional draft capital.

That said, if this had been our mock draft, we would have gone with Downs at No. 5. The back end of the Giants defense has been the most glaring issue, which has nullified some of the strength of the front seven on the pass rush.

Rounds 2-7 Bring Curious Twists and Turns

As already noted, Randall has the Giants selecting receiver KC Concepcion at No. 37. And also as already noted, we don’t care for this pick at this spot.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Concepcion has primarily been a slot receiver, having played 69.5% of his college snaps at that spot versus just 28.3% out wide. And his secondary role has been as the Z-receiver (flanker).

The Giants have plenty of slot and “Z” receivers; they need an X-receiver. But again, at this spot, we would look for an interior offensive lineman.

And in this mock, guys like Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon and Chase Bisontis of Texas A&M were still available on the board.

The Giants have no pick in the third round, a good round to consider for interior defensive line help. New York has done nothing in terms of adding to the defensive line.

That has one wondering if the plan is to roll with Dexter Lawrence, Roy Robertson-Harris, Chauncey Golston, and Darius Alexander as their main guys up front and just add a late-round pick or hope for an undrafted free agent to step in to fill the depth roles that are currently available thanks to the team moving on from D.J. Davidson and Rakeeem Nunez-Roches.

In the fourth round, Randall has them selecting cornerback Malik Muhammad from Texas, a pick that would add much-needed depth at the position.

Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad (5) celebrates an interception intended for Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks (4) in the first half of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorn at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Muhammad, from his NFL.com scouting report, sounds like a Cor’Dale Flott clone in that he is slender in frame and can get out-muscled by the more physical receivers. However, Muhammad is a guy who can also operate equally well in man and zone coverage.

Round 5 brings the Giants running back Demond Clairborne, 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds from Wake Forest, who is more of a slasher-type running back than an effective force between the tackles due to his lack of size and play strength. If the Giants are looking to run a power rushing game, it’s hard to see how Clairborne would fit into that genre.

In the sixth round, where the Giants have three picks, they land developmental prospects, including guard Fernando Carmona Jr. from Arkansas, defensive tackle Xzavian Harris from Ole Miss, and offensive tackle Aamil Wagner from Notre Dame.

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