Giants news, 4/25: Giants select CB Colton Hood, deny Kayvon Thibodeaux rumors

Other Giant observations

Francis Mauigoa makes bold promise to Jaxson Dart | Giants.com

Once he had time to catch his breath, Mauigoa backed up his spontaneous proclamation when he spoke on a conference call with Giants reporters.

“That should be everybody’s mentality,” he said. “As offensive linemen we should be able to put everything on the line because the quarterback is the key of the offense. So, to be able to block for a quarterback and to be able to make plays and open up holes for the running back, that’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s not something that people want us to – It’s something that we’re expected to do, that’s what we need to do.”

Francis Mauigoa can do more than block

New York Giants’ 2026 NFL draft picks: Selection analysis | ESPN.com

Reese lined up all over the field at Ohio State. He played 56% of his snaps at outside linebacker, 38% at inside linebacker and 6% at defensive back. This shows the kind of versatility Reese brings to the Giants’ defense. It fits what they’re trying to do — disguise coverages and make opposing offenses adjust to them rather than the other way around.

Mauigoa allowed a 1.1% pressure rate at offensive tackle this past season while being named an All-American at Miami. That was third best in the FBS. He allowed only two sacks in 522 plays pass blocking. Clearly, he was a dominant player on the field. Giants general manager Joe Schoen also noted that Mauigoa stood out while watching the Miami practice film where he went against Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor on a daily basis.

Arvell  Reese wants to be a reason the Giants win

NFL Draft 2026 winners and losers: Jets, Giants load up; Cardinals ignore bigger needs | The Athletic

Winners: The Giants had two top-10 picks and devoted those resources to acquire two foundational pieces that should help upgrade both their offensive and defensive fronts. With the fifth pick, they took Ohio State pass rusher Arvell Reese, and five picks later, they took offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

2026 NFL Draft: Grades for every first-round pick | PFF

5. New York Giants: Edge Arvell Reese, Ohio State. Pick Grade: Very Good. Reese doesn’t have much experience working as a traditional edge rusher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t impact the quarterback as a pass rusher, even if he ends up playing primarily off-ball for New York. Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.

10. New York Giants: T Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL). Pick Grade: Good. There’s a good chance Mauigoa starts his career on the interior, where the Giants have a more immediate need after bringing back Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. However, he provides potential tackle flexibility in case of injury or future roster movement. Mauigoa is a powerful run blocker who is coming off a 2025 season at Miami in which he earned an 87.0 PFF pass-blocking grade at right tackle.

The Winners and Losers of the First Round of the 2026 NFL Draft | The Ringer

Winner: New York Giants … Mostly. I was ready to declare the Giants the biggest winners of the night before the 10th pick of the draft was announced. New York had already landed linebacker Arvell Reese—who may have been the best prospect in the entire class—at no. 5. And his Ohio State teammate Caleb Downs—whom many believed they were considering with their first pick—was still on the board. Instead of taking Downs, though, the Giants went with Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

Mauigoa was a solid pick. Some analysts had him as the best tackle in the draft, and he may have gone higher if not for a herniated disk that’s considered asymptomatic for now but could require major surgery if it gets worse in the future. I don’t have any medical expertise, but back health isn’t the sort of thing that tends to improve with age—especially not when your job requires repeated collisions with 300-pound men.

Daniel Jeremiah high on Giants choices

5 Takeaways From the First Round of the 2026 NFL Draft | FOX Sports

3. Giant surprise helps John Harbaugh build a dangerous pass rush in New York. So now the Giants have a pass rush that includes Reese, All-Pro Brian Burns (16.5 sacks last season), Kayvon Thibodeaux (11 sacks in 2023 before injuries started to hurt him), and Abdul Carter, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft last year. That rotation may not evoke memories of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka just yet. But they should be a lock to improve on their 38 team sacks last year. And that could be enough to make one of the NFL’s worst defenses into a competitive unit, at least. No quarterback will be comfortable playing against this team.

That pick, plus the addition of Miami (Fla.) offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick (which they got from Cincinnati for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence), played right into new coach John Harbaugh’s plan. He promised his team would be strong in the trenches. And in the first round, they got much stronger on both sides of the ball.

Five happiest — and five unhappiest — NFL players, coaches and GMs after first round | CBSSports.com

Unhappiest NFL players, coaches and GMs. 3. Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Giants were a popular projected landing spot for a wide receiver (Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson) and a defender (Caleb Downs) in mock drafts. Then Arvell Reese “fell” to No. 5, and the Giants scooped him up, adding an absolutely ridiculous athlete to their pass rushing/linebacking group. Reese was viewed as a top-two or top-three player in this class.

Brian Burns had 16.5 sacks last year. After a bit of a slow start, rookie Abdul Carter had 3.5 sacks in his final five games. Much of his surge came after Thibodeaux’s season-ending shoulder surgery. A 2022 first-round pick, Thibodeaux was in trade rumors this offseason. After 11 sacks in 2023, he has just eight over the last two seasons combined. Now, he could be fourth in the Giants’ EDGE rotation. That’s not appealing, especially going into a contract year.

Giants’ Malik Nabers thankful WR was not picked | NJ.com

When Bleacher Report host Adam Lefkoe put a hypothetical to him on BR NFL Draft Live — what would it mean if the Giants took wide receiver Jordan Tyson with the fifth overall pick? — Nabers didn’t wave it off or give a politically safe answer.

“Understand like, okay, you draft a receiver at five and you put him on side of me. Yes. But you’re basically going to pay him more than me, right? And I’m your number one receiver, right?” Nabers said.

New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor hospitalized after medical emergency | USAToday.com

New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor. was hospitalized in New Jersey on Friday following a medical emergency. TMZ reported that the 67-year-old New York Giants legend arrived at an emergency room and was later transferred within the facility. The situation is not considered life-threatening, and Taylor is expected to be released shortly.

Around the league

Howie Roseman explains why the Eagles drafted Makai Lemon | Bleeding Green Nation

Caleb Downs provides the Cowboys a solution to every problem | Blogging the Boys

Sonny Styles talks about getting drafted, goals in the NFL, and more | Hogs Haven

Rams GM Les Snead after selecting Ty Simpson: Sean McVay and I are ‘in lockstep’ on draft decisions | NFL.com

David Bailey initially thought Jets wouldn’t pick him when they canceled pre-draft visit | Pro Football Talk

Why were Cardinals slow to draft Jeremiyah Love? ‘We had the wrong phone number’ | The Athletic

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