Giants Deal with Interesting Trade Suitor in New Mock Draft

The Athletic has released their newest mock draft and it has the Giants making their first-round selection a little later than most might expect.

Fans look on as Cam Ward is announced as the first pick during the first day of the NFL Draft presented by Bud Light at the Draft Theater Thursday, April 24, 2025, outside of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Once the final snaps of the New York Giants' 2025 season have been played at MetLife Stadium this Sunday, it's then onto the offseason, where Big Blue has a lot on its plate if it wants to turn things around for 2026.

The initial focus will be on the head coaching search and the team's impending group of unrestricted free agents and deciding which they want to spare from the open market, but then the franchise will turn its gaze toward the draft, where they are currently slated to pick at No. 2 overall, pending nothing changes in the final weekend of the regular season.

There is still some disappointment being voiced among the fanbase for the Giants losing their highest odds at the No. 1 selection by beating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, the source of those complaints being the organization losing its golden chance to take calls for the pick and bring back a massive haul of draft capital in return to help retool their roster. 

While the next spot down isn’t as lucrative on the trade scale, it doesn’t shut the Giants out of their possibility, especially if there is a shakeup to come in the quarterback prospect pool with a couple extra arms entering their names into the mix and several teams hoping to bring in their services. 

New York will be in a pretty solid position no matter what happens in the final week of the regular season, given they appear to have their franchise gunslinger in Jaxson Dart for the long haul, meaning they can either entertain offers or attack one of their glaring needs with a premier prospect in the upcoming class. 

A brand new mock draft by The Athletic projects the Giants to get the best of both worlds as they settle into the No. 2 pick, answer the phones to an interesting trade partner, and land a top offensive weapon for Dart on the other end of the deal.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) celebrates a touchdown Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, during the Big Ten football championship against the Indiana Hoosiers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This mock’s surprising caller is the Cleveland Browns, who make an unspecified offer to the Giants for No. 2 pick after the Las Vegas Raiders make a shocking choice to start the draft at quarterback, going with Oregon’s Dante Moore rather than poaching the current top prospect in Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. 

The Raiders’ stunning choice allows the Browns to jump right in and steal Mendoza for their fluid quarterback room, whose starting job many believe has yet to be won by Shedeur Sanders for the 2026 season. As for the Giants, they bump down to the No. 6 hole and select Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate to bolster their offensive arsenal. 

Despite some draft analysts’ bullish opinions on this year’s class of pass catchers, mock curator Nick Baumgardner can’t seem to find much error in the Giants partnering with Tate for their first turn of the event, calling Tate “a potential No. 1 WR in the NFL who, physically, could be outstanding opposite of Malik Nabers.” 

Tate and the Buckeyes fell flat in the second round of the College Football Playoff, but the 6-foot-3 receiver was a huge reason why his school had one of the most volatile offenses in the nation this season. He finished third in the FBS with a 90.2 receiving grade while rallying 51 catches for a career-high 875 yards, nine touchdowns, and an average of 17.2 yards per reception. 

While it would be nice to know what else the Giants would be getting in the package from the Browns, it’s not as risky a drop as some around the league think. Again, the Giants have their arm of the future in Dart, while most of the other teams hanging around them in the top 10 don’t share in that same situation.

If the Giants really want to target a second versatile threat for their signal caller to join hands with Nabers once he returns from his ACL rehab, there should be little problem landing one like Tate and helping the offense add some more juice before next season. 

Pairing Tate into the offensive equation could certainly jolt the Giants into an even more explosive unit than what we’ve seen in 2025, where they currently rank 15th in yards (330.6 yards per game) and average the 16th-highest average throw of 6.1 yards.

Losing Nabers left a gaping hole in their aerial production that needed to be filled, but they’ve found a way to remain effective with their remaining options. Wan’Dale Robinson has stepped up big in a contract year with his first 1,000-yard receiving line, and the Giants have gotten quality work from their tight ends in Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, whom Dart has come to trust. 

It remains to be seen whether Robinson, who could be one of the highest-paid skill players on the open market this spring, returns to East Rutherford to hold down the fort as the main slot guy. Still, there haven’t been any indications that the Giants aren’t interested in renewing their relationship. 

Miami Hurricanes defensive back Jakobe Thomas (8) forces an incomplete pass intended for Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) during the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on Dec. 31, 2025. Ohio State lost 24-14. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Giants should also be active in further improving their offensive line, which has been another big reason why the passing game has been rather successful, offering Dart ample time to work in the pocket and develop his abilities as a professional signal caller against complex defenses, more than what he had seen at Ole Miss and the college level. 

Overall, the draft will be one of the most important time periods of the offseason, where the Giants can achieve their numerous roster goals, given how uncertain their cap space will be in the coming months. 

Even if it means moving down to the sixth spot and gaining some valuable assets in return, the Giants making some magic happen to garner extra resources that will have them build a more competitive team for cheap is their best option until any additional roster management moves are made to create new capital with which to play with for free agent talent.

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