Giants get two big-time playmakers in Daniel Jeremiah’s final mock draft

5. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Jeremiah says:

In this scenario, Love falls into the Giants’ lap and they can’t turn down the opportunity to pair Jaxson Dart with a home run hitter in the backfield. If Love is off the board at No. 5, I think WR Jordyn Tyson would be the pick here.

10. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Jeremiah says:

With Jordyn Tyson off the board, Tate comes into play for the Giants. The rookie joins Malik Nabers to give Jaxson Dart two outstanding wide receivers heading into a critical year in his development.

[Prospect profile]

Chris’ thoughts

This is actually a scenario I’ve been considering today, particularly after our Staff Mock Draft Wednesday morning. And adding a wide receiver — be it Jordyn Tyson or Carnell Tate — in conjunction with Jeremiyah Love — is a scenario in which I might be okay with drafting the running back.

As I said this morning when Todd McShay sent Love to the Giants, I’m not in favor of drafting a running back in the first round.

Ed qualifies in his “Rules For Draft Success” with the addendum that it’s okay if the runner is a “finishing piece”. In the past that’s been a “gold jacket” player — a nod to Saquon Barkley. Personally, my rule is simpler: Don’t draft a running back in the first round.

More than any other position, running back production depends on everything around them and making a rookie running back the fourth-highest paid player at his position before he even sets foot on a football field is a questionable use of resources. Philosophically, I believe that Joe Schoen’s strategy of leveraging the value of early Day 3 runners is the responsible course of action.

Love is a dynamic athlete with the skill set to be an big play threat as a receiver and runner, though the fact the he’s a relatively modestly-sized 215 pounds (compared to the 225-230 pound power backs typically used in spread offenses) means he’ll need to be in the right environment to be consistently productive. Love doesn’t have the size or power to shrug off tacklers around the line of scrimmage, and his effectiveness wanes considerably when the defense keys on the run.

Turning to Tate for a moment, I would consider getting him at 10th to be a coup.

I generally don’t share my personal grades on players, but Tate is tied with Sonny Styles as my top-graded player in this draft class. I am a huge fan of his game and believe it is not only immediately translates to the NFL, but it will be very durable over the years. Tate is an absolute route technician, on the order of Odell Beckham in his prime, while also having absolutely pristine hands with no drops and winning contested catches at a rate of 30 points higher than George Pickens (85.7% to 56.4%). He also blocks with the unselfish tenacity of a walk-on tight end trying to earn a scholarship, which is sure to earn fans among coaches.

The Ohio State fed athletic freak Jeremiah Smith, but I would argue that Tate is much better at playing the wide receiver position.

The addition of Tate to Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, and Isaiah Likely might just create the kind of environment Love needs to live up to a Top 5 draft slot.

It’s a familiar argument and broadly the same one we used to rationalize selecting Saquon Barkley in 2018. However, the 2026 NFL Draft is an odd one. with the highest upside players being at some of the lowest leverage positions.

The board may just dictate that the Giants invest heavily in positions they otherwise might not.