BMX Titles to Bass Fishing: 7 Surprising Facts About the Giants’ 2026 Rookie Class

One of the neat things about the NFL draft is that every young athlete has a special story about how he got to the point of setting foot in an NFL facility.

That certainly is true for the New York Giants’ Class of 2026, a collection of seven very talented and unique young men, all of whom have an interesting back story to tell.

So as these young rookies prepare for their first-ever NFL practices at this weekend’s rookie minicamp, here’s a look at some little-known facts about their backgrounds.

Round 1, No. 5: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

Apr 24, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants draft pick Arvell Reese addresses the media during the introductory press conference at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Tom Horak-Imagn Images

Arvell Reese is coming off a dream career at Ohio State that led to his being drafted fifth overall by the Giants.

But there was once a time in his life when Reese might have never had the chance to star at Ohio State and, in turn, be eligible for the draft.

That’s because, as a high school youth, his life was going in the wrong direction from an academic perspective. Reese, in an interview with CBS Sports before the draft, admitted to once not caring or even trying to excel in high school due to some health issues his mother had experienced at the time.

As a result, his GPA fell to 0.4, making him ineligible for college. But once he enrolled in a credit-recovery program to improve his GPA, he encountered Ted Ginn, Sr., the football coach at Reese’s school.

Ginn became a mentor to the young gridiron star and is someone Reese credits with having “literally changed my life.”

Reese, by the way, posted a 3.7 GPA at Ohio State and was a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors twice (2023 and 2024).

Round 1, Pick No. 10: OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla)

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Miami Hurricanes lineman Francis Mauigoa poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa grew up in American Samoa, dreaming of one day entering the NFL. But while growing up, the opportunity to start his journey wasn’t exactly plentiful.

Mauigoa actually had to make his own football equipment as a youth because there wasn’t a football field or a program for him to take part in that offered a field or equipment for that matter.

“Back home, I used to cut slippers to put them on as kneepads,” he said. “Some kids shared it just to get into the game… So looking back at those times, I mean, that’s what makes me take advantage of every opportunity that I get around here.”

Round 2: Pick No. 37: CB Colton Hood, Tennessee

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Colton Hood poses with his parents Bengie and Crystal Hood on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Colton Hood comes from a football background–his uncle Roderick Hood was an NFL defensive back who once played for the Eagles and was coached by none other than current Giants head coach John Harbaugh.

His father Bengie was also a football player, having starred at Auburn University,

From the age of nine, Hood was grooming himself for life in the NFL thanks to rigorous training initiated by his father.

Hood told reporters after the draft that he would run hills every morning before school and partake in intense track workouts in steel-toed boots.

The training paid off as Hood now finds himself in the NFL, where he has a great opportunity to secure a starting role in the Giants' defensive secondary.

Round 3, No. 74: WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields (0) catches a pass during the first half of a NCAA football game against Navy at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fields is wise beyond his 22 years. Married to his high school sweetheart, Peyton, who is expecting the couple’s first child, Fields is an avid angler who uses the sport to relax off the field and connect with nature.

One of his proudest moments as an angler was when he caught a four-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass during a fishing trip with his friends in South Bend, Indiana.

Round 6, Pick No. 186: DT Bobby Jamison-Travis, Auburn

Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Auburn defensive lineman Bobby Johnson-Travis (DL17) speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Before he began dominating on the gridiron, defensive lineman Bobby Jamison-Travis aspired to become the next Shaquille O’Neal.

He quickly realized that he wasn’t cut out for playing hoops, so he gravitated toward playing football, a sport he had seen his brothers and cousins play.

As Jamison-Travis, whose full first name is “Quientrail” but who goes by “Bobby,” the moniker he got at Iowa Western Community College, revealed, he was invited by a football coach to come to a practice when he was in eighth grade.

He did, and he became hooked.

“Sophomore year (in high school) really sparked it for me,” Jamison-Travis said in an interview with the Auburn football website.

“Freshman year, I didn’t get much playing time. They had seniors over me, so they were trying to get them out there. I respect that, though. It’s a senior’s last year, they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do.

“But then sophomore year, I came in and balled. Junior year, balled. Now I’m a senior, and young people were looking up to me. So I had to show up.”

Jamison-Travis is a father of two children, Jasir and Jayla. While he hopes to have a lengthy NFL career, he has expressed a desire to coach at the high school level once he hangs up his cleats.

“Most people are struggling when they jump up to college. I want to go back to be a coach, not just to coach them up in football, but in life too.”

Round 6, Pick No. 192: OL J.C. Davis, Illinois

Mar 1, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois offensive lineman JC Davis (OL18) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Offensive lineman J.C. Davis is the very epitome of someone who, when he puts his mind to doing something, it happens.

Davis’s journey to the NFL began as a lightly recruited two-star athlete. He began his journey at Contra Costa College (JUCO), where he earned All-CCCA first-team honors.

He then moved on to New Mexico, where he was named first-team All-Mountain West in 2023. That season, Davis was the No. 4-graded tackle in the nation and No. 1 in the Group of 5 (84.6), according to PFF (min. 600 snaps).

He finished his college career at Illinois, where he started all 13 games and earned a slew of honors.

Davis, the young athlete who was overlooked by too many at the beginning, has proven his critics wrong, showing a streak of resilience and hard work that has laid a solid foundation for his new career at the game’s highest level.

Round 6, Pick No. 193: LB Jack Kelly, BYU

Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; BYU linebacker Jack Kelly (LB14) speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kelly grew up as a Bicycle Motorcross (BMX) racer, an upbringing that set the stage for the fearlessness and competitiveness he would later display on the gridiron.

Nicknamed “Cannonball,” Kelly got his first BMX bike at age 3 and went on to compete in the sport from ages 5 to 14, earning 9 national championships and racing in 41 states.

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