Giants Now: NFL.com & The Athletic release 3-round mock drafts

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Giants Now: NFL.com & The Athletic release 3-round mock drafts

Giants
10 Feb 2026, 16:30 GMT+

Matt Citak

NFL.com & The Athletic release 3-round mock drafts

The 2025 season is officially complete.

With Super Bowl LX now in the rearview mirror, the entire NFL has turned the page to the 2026 offseason.

Several media outlets began the week by publishing three-round mock drafts, including NFL.com's Chad Reuter and The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner.

Let's see which prospects each analyst projected to the Giants with their first two picks. (Just a reminder the Giants used their 2026 third round pick to trade up in last year's draft for Jaxson Dart).

With the fifth overall pick,NFL.com has the Giants addressingthe secondary with the selection of LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

"New head coach John Harbaugh played defensive back at Miami of Ohio and coached the position for one season with the Eagles -- and the Ravens selected DBs Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, and Nate Wiggins in the first round during his time with the team," wrote Reuter. "Safety Caleb Downs, who functions like a quarterback in the secondary, is surely tempting, but in this scenario, Harbaugh chooses Delane, an elite coverage corner."

Delane started his collegiate career at Virginia Tech, where he played from 2022-2024. The young corner registered six interceptions and 16 passes defensed in 33 games across those three seasons with the Hokies. His best campaign was in 2024, when he finished with four interceptions and seven pass breakups on his way to being named third-team All-ACC.

The 6-feet, 190-pound cornerback then transferred to LSU for the 2025 season, where he put together his strongest overall campaign. Delane started 11 games for the Tigers and recorded 45 tackles (26 solo), two interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

Delane earned Unanimous All-American honors as well as first-team All-SEC selection.

The Athletic went in a different directionfor the Giants at No. 5 with the selection of Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.

"The WR1 debate between Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon should rage well beyond the NFL combine," Baumgardner wrote. "However, Tate has the most potential and the fewest questions regarding his health and schematic fit."

Tate came on strong as a true sophomore during Ohio State's run to a National Championship in 2024. The wideout caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games while serving as the No. 3 option in the passing game behind fellow wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

Egbuka was drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which led to Tate stepping up as the other starting receiver opposite Smith this past season. The expanded role led to even more success for Tate, who set new high marks in receiving yards (875) and touchdowns (nine) in four fewer games than the previous season. Tate recorded 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown in four games during his junior campaign.

A lower body injury suffered towards the beginning of November cost him nearly a month of the season, but Tate was able to return for the Buckeyes' final three games. He caught a touchdown in two of those three contests.

Moving to the second round, Reuter projected Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling to the Giants at No. 37.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle played in all 13 games with 12 starts for the Bulldogs this past season. He was named second-team All-SEC by the conference's coaches.

As for The Athletic's mock draft, after going with a wide receiver in the first round, Baumgardner has the Giants taking San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson in the second round.

Johnson is coming off a breakout season, one that saw him named Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year along with second-team All-American by the Associated Press. Pro Football Focus had Johnson down for only 18 receptions for 185 yards allowed with zero touchdowns all season, earning a passer rating against of just 16.1. He finished the year with four interceptions and nine pass breakups.