New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: LB Jake Golday, Cincinnati

The Giants need to upgrade their linebacker unit. So what can Jake Golday offer to the group?

Jake Golday is a redshirt junior transfer to the Cincinnati Bearcats from Central Arkansas. | Scott Springer/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jake Golday, LB

• Height: 6’4
• Weight: 240 lbs
• Class: RS-Senior
• School: Cincinnati
• STATS

Golday was not initially recruited by 247 Sports, but he attended Arlington High School in Tennessee. He attended Central Arkansas for three years and was a standout at the FCS level. He played in 26 games for the Bears.

Golday led Central Arkansas in tackles during the 2023 season before transferring to Cincinnati Bearcats. He was a three star prospect in the transfer portal, the 52nd ranked linebacker and the 716th player overall.  

Golday recorded 43 STOPs in 2025 and had a total of 110 in his five seasons of college ball. He also maintained a low 10.5% missed tackle rate with 61 total pressures and impressive Pro Football Focus Grades.

Golday was on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list and was a 2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, while earning the honor in 2025. Was also Second Team All-UAC in 2023. 

Feldman had Golday’s short-shuttle time at 4.25 with a 10’7” broad jump, and a 36” vertical with a max-bench of 365-pounds. He’s expected to run in the 4.50 range, which isn’t a surprise.

Golday was a hybrid LB/Slot in his two seasons with the Bearcats. He played a total of 965 Box snaps, 522 slot snaps with 585 snaps at EDGE and on the DL (312 were in 2022 and 117 were in 2025). Golday attended the East-West Shrine Game.

Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Strengths

• Excellent size and length
• Long limbs and strides + excellent AA
• Great range and directional control
• Covers ground – impressive range
• Very good speed, acceleration, and good linear explosion 
• Changes directions well with fluid hips
• Transitions from a square position well when carrying in man coverage
• Solid use of hands to keep his chest clean when stack & shed
• Does well to avoid blocks and fit the run well at second level
• Excellent job keeping chest clean when engaged laterally 
• Good physicality in the box when taking on climbing COMBO
• Does well in pursuit from back side
• Excellent tackler who wraps up with solid fundamentals
• Solid pop on contact when filling
• Plenty of athletic ability to cover in man
• Closes throwing window with his tree-like arms
• Covers ground in coverage – can drop to unconventional zone paths – fluid
• Limits YAC quickly
• Good blitzer and provided versatility in sub-packages on EDGE
• Solid high-side rush off the edge – good timing to dip and rip through
• Quality explosiveness to trigger and shoot gaps when blitzing
• High competitor 
• Plenty of special teams experience

Weaknesses

• Marginal overall reactive quickness – is a tad behind too often
• While a sure tackler – and he wraps up – he can go too high into the tackle point
• Anchor/play strength are a questionable transition vs. pullers
• Was flattened by too many pulling OL
• Looked lost in zone coverage too often 
• Allowed way too many receivers behind him in zone vs. Baylor
• Zone awareness must improve

Summary

Jake Golday has an excellent blend of size and athletic ability with the great acceleration and range to get outside the numbers and make tackles in pursuit. He’s a sure-tackler with solid fundamentals, which allowed him to miss just 10.5% of his college tackles. He uses his hands well and operates in the box to execute his assignment, while possessing blitzing upside in sub-packages. 

While he is very athletic, and he can match in man coverage, his zone awareness was marginal and must improve. Golday’s overall play strength is solid, but his anchor against pulling offensive lineman was poor; he too frequently found himself on the ground; with better technique and approach, he could limit this vulnerability, but it is a concern. 

Golday’s reactive quickness was sub-par as well, which put him behind the eight-ball with other critical aspects of playing linebacker.

Overall, Jake Golday has plenty of special teams upside and excellent athletic traits to earn a role on a defense in the right environment, but his strength in certain contexts and awareness in zone coverage needs to improve for him to earn defensive snaps.

Still, his size and AA will likely earn him a role; Golday could SHOOT up the boards at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

GRADE: 6.23

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

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