Consensus NFL Power Rankings: Where Are Giants After 2026 NFL Draft?

There is still a lot of work to be done for the New York Giants before new head coach John Harbaugh’s roster is ready to take the field in September.

But while optimism is running at an all-time high, coming out of 1925 Giants Drive that this year will be the start of something special, the national prognosticators need some more convincing, as evidenced by where they put Big Blue in their respective post-draft NFL power rankings.

Granted, power rankings don’t mean much, regardless of when they are unveiled–it's what a team does on the field that counts. Still, it’s always interesting to gauge how the national sites view the teams' progress.

Let’s run down where the Giants landed.

CBS Sports: 25th

Count Pete Prisco of CBS Sports as having been impressed with the Giants’ recent draft class. But it all means nothing if the second-year quarterback doesn’t continue his growth.

That’s obviously a Giants organizational goal as well. To ensure Dart continues his ascent toward the upper-echelon group of signal callers, the team drafted 6-foot-4 receiver Malachi Fields and hulking offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.

They also added receivers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin, big-bodied tight end Isaiah Likely, and big, bruising fullback Patrick Ricard to help add some additional dimension and options for Dart to lean on as he continues his ascent.

ESPN: 23rd

The Giants rose two spots in ESPN Nation's power ranking poll, citing the improvements made on the defense. The biggest improvement? The linebacker unit, which was very much a part of the run-stopping woes in the past.

The hope now rests that first-round pick Arvell Reese and veteran free-agent acquisition Tremaine Edmunds can help stop the bleeding against the run.

Both should be greatly aided by the team’s additions of nose tackle DJ Reader, who replaces Dexter Lawrence, and Shelby Harris, who has a chance at being the starting 3-tech.

Pro Football Network: 24th

Jacob Infante seems to imply that the Giants’ losses and gains balance each other out, which is not necessarily true. Yes, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott are significant losses, but the Giants have gravitated away from the smaller, shifter receiving targets, as evidenced by their addition of Fields and Likely.

As far as cornerback goes, the Giants, in adding Colton Hood in the draft and Greg Newsome in free agency, bolstered depth and now have some options for defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson to play around with in different personnel packages. If they can just get Deone Banks on track and help Paulson Adebo take his game to the next level, the cornerback position will really be cooking.

Bleacher Report: 27th

Despite the low ranking, Gary Davenport paints an optimistic picture of Big Blue’s chances for success this season, provided, of course, that a couple of things fall into place.

The first is the return of running back Cam Skattebo and receiver Malik Nabers from injury.

Per TruMedia via the Locked On Giants podcast, the Giants offense averaged 27.6 yards less per game when Nabers was not on the field, and 0.2 yards per play less. When Skattebo wasn’t on the field, the Giants' third-down conversion rate dropped from 55% to 48.8%.

The Athletic: 28th

Josh Kendall had nothing but positive things to say about the Giants’ draft, noting, “The first-round edge rusher joins a pass-rushing group that includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and, at least for now, Kayvon Thibodeaux. Tackle Francis Mauigoa may have a bigger impact on wins and losses, but Reese should put up eye-popping stats.”

Okay, great. So why then the low ranking? Aren’t power rankings supposed to reflect both gains and losses, or are they based solely on the team’s won-loss record from a year before, which would explain why the Seahawks and Patriots are first and second on the list?

Fox Sports: 18th

In what was the highest rating Big Blue received, Ralph Vacchiano was particularly bullish on the Giants’ first four picks, all of whom filled a glaring need on the roster.

Indeed. Arvell Reese completed the linebacker makeover, and Francis Mauigoa completed the offensive line.

Colton Hood gives them a potential long-term starter at cornerback who will hopefully develop into a CB1, and Malachi Fields will hopefully give the Giants what they were hoping to get from another third-round receiver for whom they traded up to get, but who has disappointed (Jalin Hyatt).

NFL.com: 26th

NFL.com writer Eric Edholm also likes what the Giants have done, but in fairness, his power rankings were last updated on April 27, before the Giants started addressing what Edholm considered the team’s biggest need: defensive tackle.

One might wonder how he feels today after the team added Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, and DJ Reader to the mix, and whether their placement in his rankings would be higher.

That said, we agree with Edholm’s opinion that the draft and the Giants’ offseason in general is “a promising start” to the John Harbaugh era.

Sports Illustrated: 24th

Conor Orr’s ranking of the Giants confuses us: he expressed optimism and overall positivity about what the Giants did, yet kept Big Blue in the bottom third of the league. Perhaps that’s because he’s taking a wait-and-see approach regarding whether all these impressive moves result in more games won–who could blame him for that, actually.

The big question for the Giants, at least on defense, is whether they finally have enough support on the back end to unleash the pass rush (the team's strength). Time will, of course, tell.

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