‘Figuratively and Literally’: Giants' Roster Undergoes Massive Physical Overhaul

From the arrival of Francis Mauigoa to the "savage" defensive upgrades, head coach John Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen have finalized a blueprint to make the Giants the most physical team in the NFC East.

Apr 24, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants draft pick Francis Mauigoa, Head Coach John Harbaugh (left) and General Manager Joe Schoen (right) pose for a photo during the introductory press conference at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Tom Horak-Imagn Images

When it comes to the roster assembled by New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh, there is no “might be” in describing this collection of players.

“I think we have a bunch of Giants, figuratively and literally,” Harbaugh said after the 2026 NFL draft concluded. “We have guys that we really like that are going to make a difference.”

While the true impact of the additions made won’t be fully felt until the season begins in September, there’s no question that the Giants, on paper, are a much better team than they were to close out the 2025 season.

On defense, which vastly underperformed last year, the Giants swapped out linebackers Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden with Tremaine Edmunds and rookie Arvell Reese.

They replaced cornerback Cor’Dale Flott with the very promising Colton Hood, a second-round draft pick, and free-agent Greg Newsome II, both of whom will compete for Flott’s former starting job. They also brought in Ar’Darius Washington as a replacement/upgrade for safety Dane Belton, who went to the Jets.

On the offensive side of the ball, tight end Isaiah Likely comes in for Daniel Bellinger, but with a larger role projected as a receiver. They got bigger and more physical at receiver, replacing smallish but tough receiver Wan’Dale Robinson with a mix of Malachi Fields, Calvin Austin III, and Darnell Mooney.

They added some potential beef to the offensive line in Francis Mauigoa, who is projected to replace Greg Van Roten, and guard/tackle JC Davis.

They have remade their kicking battery with punter Jordan Stout in for Jamie Gillan, Zach Triner in for Casey Kreiter, and one of Jason Sanders, Ben Sauls, and an undrafted rookie free agent, and the top-rated kicker in the draft, Dominic Zvada, all expected to compete for the job.

And the additions–fullback Patrick Ricard as well as the return of injured stars Malik Nabers at receiver and Cam Skatteo at running back–round out what has been an impressive-looking overhaul.

This Giants team is bigger, stronger, more physical, and faster–true Giants in every sense of the word.

“You can be a Giant in different kinds of ways. You can be real fast, and that makes you a fast Giant,” Harbaugh said after the draft.  

“We want really good players. We want guys that fit how we want to play, and some of these guys really fit how we want to play.

“The fact that they're bigger players, longer, heavy-handed type guys is important, because especially in this division, you've got to play that way. Your interior offensive line has to be physical. Look at the defensive tackles in this league. Right down the road, especially.

“(Defensive) line, the same way. We want to be able to handle the offensive lines that we have to play against up front. Of course, we talked about stopping the run right out of the gates, right? They have to be big and strong to do that. You have to be athletic. You've got to be able to move. All those things are part of it, too. It's a big part of it.”

Whether the additions translate to sunnier skies ahead for a Big Blue team that has won seven games in its last two seasons remains to be seen.

But if there is another thing that Giants fans can take solace in knowing is that Harbaugh and Schoen didn’t just randomly throw darts against the board or simply go with a player who might have been the highest graded.

Every player selected had to fit the coaching staff’s vision for the team.

And they’re not done. Schoen told reporters that they would continue to look for options that fit the team’s overall vision among the undrafted free agents, several of whom the Giants have already made arrangements to join them at their rookie minicamp on May 9, and, of course, veteran free agents, of whom at least one or perhaps more are expected to be signed in the coming days.

“I feel great about how it's gone,” Harbaugh said about working with Schoen and the rest of the Giants front office from last year. “Starting from the ground up, looking at the staff and the scouts and everything, it's a great group.

“We ended up on the same page. We didn't always agree, but we understood where we were coming from.”

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