Big Blue View
The New York Giants will not hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
It took two years, but the Giants finally won two consecutive games in a row. Last week they beat the Las Vegas Raiders 34-10, and this week they beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-17. The wins certainly feel good, and offer a promising glimpse of the future for the Giants’ offense, but there are definite draft implications.
The Giants would have controlled the No.1 overall pick if they lost the first game against the Raiders, and still would have controlled the No.2 overall pick with a chance* at the first overall pick with a loss against the Cowboys.
Instead, the Giants will be drafting somewhere between 3rd and 6th overall, pending the outcome of the 4pm games. As things stand now, the Giants are drafting 5th overall thanks to the Tennessee Titans loss and the Cleveland Browns win, but that could change.
The Giants’ win, and subsequent drop in the draft order, likely puts paid to dreams of ransoming a passer to a quarterback-needy team. There might still be opportunities for trades given the construction of the Giants’ defense and the caliber of EDGE defenders coming out this year. However, that won’t bring nearly the same haul as a big trade for a quarterback.
If the Giants can’t engineer a trade, sliding down the draft order may be in their favor. The top of the draft board might not present good value based on the Giants’ needs, or be stocked with players at crowded positions on the depth chart.
(Draft order will be updated as games finish)
