Varied Opinions Thus Far Regarding Giants’ First Round Draft Pick

So who’s it going to be for the New York Giants in Round 1 of this year’s draft?

A safety? A wide receiver? An offensive tackle? A cornerback?

It turns out that picking fifth overall gives a team any number of possibilities, none of which appear to be trading down in the draft, given the lack of star power in the quarterback group.

While there is still plenty of time, though, for prospects to raise their respective stocks, the early mock drafts have the Giants going in any number of directions with their first pick of the John Harbaugh era.

NFL.com’s writers are especially all over the place with their projections.

Chad Reuter: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane (4) intercepts the pass of Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 during the NCAA football game at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. LSU Tigers won 17-10. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reuter pointed out that Harbaugh has a history with defensive backs, having played the position at Miami of Ohio, coached the position for one season in Philadelphia, and drafted Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, and Nate Wiggins in the first round during his time with the Ravens.

While there is no question that the Giants need some more depth at cornerback, especially if they move on from Cor’Dale Flott and, as expected, decline the fifth-year option on Deonte Banks’s rookie deal, it was surprising that Reuter passed on safety Caleb Downs, who he had going to the Commanders two picks later.

Still, Delane is regarded as one of the best coverage corners in this year’s class, and the Giants certainly can’t have too many of those on the roster, as we found out the last two seasons.

Cynthia Frelund: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Frelund, like Reuter, goes with a cornerback for the Giants at No. 5, but rather than go with Delane, whom she said was her second-ranked cornerback, she selected a much different name and one that a lot of mock drafts haven’t put in their top 10, let alone their top five.

There is probably a reason for that. McCoy is coming off a torn ACL suffered a year ago, which cost him the entire 2025 season, so there is the matter of his medicals checking out.

That said, Frelund states that McCoy has the highest rating for a true press corner in his 25 games played for the Vols, in which he posted six interceptions and 16 pass breakups.

But again, the medicals are going to be critical to where McCoy actually lands in the draft selection process. While he should theoretically be ready by September after almost a year and a half removed from the injury, how much will his limited film cause his stock to drop?

Daniel Jeremiah: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

Keeping it short and sweet, Jeremiah notes that due to the receiver class being so deep, the need to add one this early in the draft can wait. And of Delane, he believes the LSU senior would “immediately be their most talented cornerback.”

Delane finished as the second-highest graded 2026 cornerback prospect in this year’s draft, per Pro Football Focus. Delane’s 40% reception rate allowed the lowest of the 108 cornerbacks in the class who have at least 300 coverage snaps.

Delane’s 31 forced incompletions in 2025 rank third among that same group, and his 31.3 NFL coverage rating ranks second.

Lance Zierlein: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

Add another NFL.com writer who favors Delane to the Giants at No. 5. Zierlein notes that Delane “is a smothering presence outside with the ability to stay tight on all three levels and take the rock away.”

Delane, who played the first three years of his career at Virginia Tech before finishing up at LSU last season, has appeared in 44 games and has 191 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, eight career interceptions, and 27 pass breakups.

Eric Edholm: WR Makai Lemon, USC

Edholm becomes the first of NFL.com’s writers to project a receiver to the Giants at No. 5, with Lemon being the second one off his board after Ohio State’s Carnell Tate. While Edholm also believes the offensive line is a possibility at this spot, Lemon, he said, is a yards-after-catch (YAC) specialist.

Out of 15 draft-eligible receivers with a minimum of 100 targets, Lemon, who last year played most of his snaps in the slot, ranks fourth in YAC (502). Of that same group, Lemon is tied for third in fewest drops (2) on the year and in contested catch percentage (66.7%).

Although a very good prospect, Lemon has been primarily a slot receiver in his college career, with 75.6% of his passing-game snaps coming from that spot. The Giants need more of an X-receiver than a slot, and again, it is a deep receiver class, which might make the fifth spot too high for a receiver.

Bucky Brooks: OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)

We’d never poo-poo an offensive lineman at any point in the draft, and Mauigoa, Brooks’ current choice for the Giants at No. 5, is clearly among the top prospects at his position in this year’s draft.

But as far as the right tackle spot goes, isn’t that why the Giants drafted and spent a year developing Marcus Mbow last year, to presumably step in as the starter if the team parted ways with Jermaine Eluemunor, an impending free agent?

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