Giants Target Crucial Defensive Interior Help in Newest Mock Draft

The New York Giants had their fair share of blatant issues during the 2025 season, and there is no doubt that the ineffectiveness of their run response in the trenches was among the headliners of a disappointing 4-13 campaign.

Despite loading up on big-bodied defensive linemen last offseason to bolster their pass rush and clog up the rushing lanes, the collection of talent along the interior just couldn't get the job done in the latter area as the Giants finished the season with the second-worst rushing yards allowed (145.3 per game) and a nearly historic average carry of 5.3 yards that ranked dead last in the NFL.

The Giants believed they had enough talented resources in their ranks to shut down opposing run games, especially with an All-Pro defensive tackle in Dexter Lawrence and a promising rookie in Darius Alexander, who came to East Rutherford as a third-round pick after being the third-highest graded interior defender at the college level.

Clearly, they were wrong, as the unit needs some extra beef to ensure that they don't return as the same punching bag in that department in 2026, and they might now turn their focus towards that area, given they are set to pick at No. 5 in the first round of April's draft.

In a brand-new mock draft released by CBS Sports following the conclusion of the regular season, that is exactly what the Giants choose to address as they snag one of the class's best gap stuffers off the big board with their first selection.

Auburn Tigers defensive end Keldric Faulk (15) warms up before Auburn Tigers take on Mercer Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At the fifth pick, the Giants, who fell into the spot after defeating the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 18 finale and losses from a couple teams with one extra tack in their right column, select Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk, who enters the 2026 draft as the outlet's second-highest ranked prospect at his position group.

"If you watched the Giants' worst-ranked run defense this past fall, you know physicality up front is a major need," mock curator Mike Renner said in his pick analysis.

"Keldric Faulk may be listed as a defensive end, but his body type fits more like a defensive tackle in most NFL schemes today.

"At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Faulk is a Calais Campbell-esque tweener who is already a handful in the run game. Slot him next to Dexter Lawrence, and the Giants' front four would be a terrifying group to block."

Putting a young prospect in the same echelon as an incredible All-Pro run defender like Calais Campbell is bound to open the eyeballs of Giants fans and football scouts alike, especially when the franchise's defensive front struggled to put initial pressure on opposing ball carriers and all of its main members posted sub-57.0 run defense grades amid woeful tackling issues.

Nonetheless, Faulk's resume as an interior defender ranks among the nation's best. The junior finished his 2025 season with the Tigers as the 12th-highest run defense grade in 237 snaps, tallying 22 tackles, including 20 stops, in the trenches and whiffing on just two of them for 6.1% missed tackle rate.

In three seasons with the school, Faulk has been a very active player in disrupting opposing backfields and getting after the quarterback in the pass rush.

He holds 91 career pressures, 12 sacks, nine quarterback hits, and a handful of pass deflections, making him a proven weapon to add to the Giants' arsenal as they look to remain a pressure cooker up front next season.

The Giants need some extra help to alleviate the pressure on the shoulders of Lawrence to be a one-hit wonder in the run response.

Lawrence posted an impressive campaign in 2024 and was pacing the team in sacks before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in the final quarter of the season. Still, that ailment clearly got him off to a slow start that he wasn't able to overcome during this fall.

Along with Lawrence, Darius Alexander had some upside coming out of Toledo. Still, he needs more time to develop his game and compete with the blocking talent at the NFL level after he finished dead-last among Giants' defensive linemen with a 30.3 run defense grade and a 17.6% missed tackle rate on his 10 total tackles for his rookie debut.

Tabbing a prospect like Faulk seems like it would help move the needle in getting the Giants' defense back to being a strong unit that doesn't just get pushed around and concede chunks of yardage that wear them out and make it tough to get off the field.

Those faults were among the select reasons why New York suffered repeated and embarrassing collapses down the stretch in several of its 13 losses, and the leadership of Shane Bowen was upended midway through the season.

Charlie Bullen started to return the group to some stability down the final stretch, and it should be among the top priorities to keep that trend going, no matter who is commanding the defense in 2026, if the Giants really want to stake their identity behind their stout front seven.

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