Giants Draft Pick JC Davis Could Spell the End for This Former Third-Round Selection

The arrival of sixth-round tackle JC Davis brings power to the New York Giants' offensive line, but his presence may leave veteran Joshua Ezeudu without a roster spot.

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

The New York Giants knew going into the 2026 NFL Draft that they would need to add offensive line talent, which led them to select both Francis Mauigoa and JC Davis this weekend.

Mauigoa was the big-name selection with the tenth overall pick, acquired by the Giants, who sent Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals.

In the sixth round, the selection of Davis gave the Giants another offensive tackle who could make the final roster as a potential swing tackle/guard.

Davis is a broad, powerful offensive tackle whose footwork will need plenty of development. The question, though, is whether he gets that development as a member of the 53-man roster or as a member of the practice squad?

If it’s the former, there is one veteran whose current roster spot could be directly in jeopardy by the arrival of Davis, and that veteran himself is a former Giants draft pick who was drafted in the third round, making him more of a “premium” pick than Davis, who was added in the sixth round.  

We’re talking, of course, about Joshua Ezeudu. Ezeudu re-signed with the team last month after his rookie contract expired following the 2025 season.

Ezeudu didn’t play at all in 2025 due to injury. Over the years, he has been a depth piece who plays whenever the Giants need a spot starter on the line, particularly at left tackle and left guard.

The problem for Ezeudu, though, has been two-fold. First, he’s had two season-ending injuries, including last year when he was injured early in training camp and never made it off IR throughout the season despite being healthy enough to be activated midway through the 2025 campaign.

The other issue is that he’s simply not cut out to be an NFL tackle, yet the previous coaching staff, in leaning into Ezeudu’s days at North Carolina as a tackle, tried to make it work at the NFL level.

Per Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-4, 308-pound Ezeudu has allowed 42 career pressures in 453 pass-blocking snaps, or roughly one pressure per every 10.78 pass-blocking snaps played. That gives him a 93.8 pass-locking efficiency rating.

With Davis now in the fold at offensive tackle and with some potential to play guard, there appears to be less job security for Ezeudu as a depth piece on the offensive line.

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