Giants news, 4/27: 2026 draft review, Harbaugh on Malik Nabers and Odell Beckham

Other Giant observations

NFL Draft’s 10 best scheme fits: Giants, Cowboys, Bucs among teams pic¢king perfect pieces | The Athletic

1. Arvell Reese, ILB, Giants. Play style: Explosive athlete with a nose for the ball, heavy hands and pass-rush juice Scheme: 2-high, 3-4 scheme. I’m intrigued by this fit. The Giants drafted Reese, who played inside linebacker but has the potential to be a strong pass rusher, a year after drafting Abdul Carter and trading for Brian Burns in 2024. At Penn State, like Reese, Carter also played inside linebacker but transitioned to playing edge. Carter and Burns will start on the edges and be backed up by Kayvon Thibodeaux, a Giants first-rounder in 2022.

All three edges are undersized (below 255 pounds), and Reese weighs 241 pounds. Reese’s tape playing inside linebacker was superb, and he should make an immediate impact on the second level. Going to a team where he doesn’t have to play full time on the edge will benefit him. The team also signed linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to be the mike linebacker, which will free up Reese to move around the front.

Malachi Fields compares his game to current NFL players

2026 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams | PFF

New York Giants: Grade A. LB Jack Kelly: Kelly’s production is anchored by his pass-rush output, as he generated 128 pressures on 576 pass-rush snaps (22.2% pressure rate) across his career, with at least 28 pressures in each season and career pass-rush grades of 85.7 (2022), 91.1 (2023), 70.1 (2024) and 77.7 (2025). His overall grading profile has remained steady — above 60.0 in all four seasons, including a 68.7 mark in 2025 — with run-defense grades consistently in the mid-60s. At 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, he brings a physical, downhill presence with real juice as a blitzer, translating to disruption when attacking gaps.

Grading every Giants 2026 NFL Draft pick: Joe Schoen hits a needed home run | New York Post

The optimistic view of the Giants’ draft class is that they landed two of the top-five players on their big board, their No. 1-ranked available player entering the second round and multiple starters on both sides of the ball. The pessimistic view is that the Giants drafted an edge to play linebacker, a tackle to play guard and traded away too much for a part-time receiver. So, which is it? Overall draft class grade: A

2026 NFL Draft Grades for Every Team from B/R NFL Scouting Dept. | Bleacher Report

New York Giants: Grade: B+. GM Joe Schoen found some decent value on Day 3 in prospects like Jack Kelly and J.C. Davis, though New York shouldn’t expect any starters to come from the sixth round. New York got a truly special prospect in Reese and managed to address some notable needs without truly reaching at any one spot.

2026 NFL Draft team grades are in | CBSSports.com

New York Giants: A-. The only team with two top-10 picks came out of the first round a big winner, and it continued its hot start to the draft Friday when it grabbed Colton Hood. Trading into the third round for some necessary receiver help was a nice splash, too. Defensively, New York’s front seven just got even more fearsome. With the rest of the existing group of defenders, the Giants will be a problem for opposing offenses if they can find a replacement for Dexter Lawrence in the trenches. Maybe Bobby Jamison-Travis (No. 186) can be that guy.

Speaking of the trenches, adding protection for Jaxson Dart in the form of Francis Mauigoa is another tremendous use of a first-round pick. Renner projects him to move inside to one of the guard spots for now, which will also help Cam Skattebo and the running game.

Giants 2026 NFL Draft Report Card: Grading Big Blue’s picks | SNY.tv

The Ravens had a philosophy in Baltimore: Let the board fall and take the best player available.

It worked out well. During his 18 years as the team’s head coach, John Harbaugh had two losing seasons. In his first draft now with the Giants, you saw those same tendencies carried out again. Arvell Reese didn’t fill a need, but was the top option at No. 5. The same with Francis Mauigoa.

A new NabersHood

2026 NFL draft: Best picks, trades, QB fits and predictions | ESPN.com

What is your favorite prospect-to-team fit? **Matt Miller:**OT Francis Mauigoa to the Giants at No. 10. The Giants needed a right tackle who can open lanes in the run game and also keep quarterback Jaxson Dart clean. Not overthinking this selection and drafting the best offensive lineman in the class is a win on value, but it’s also a great scheme fit with John Harbaugh determined to establish the run.

7 best available free-agent fits for New York Giants after NFL draft | USAToday.com

DT Calais Campbell. It remains unclear if Calais Campbell will retire or if he will return in 2026. If he opts to play, the Arizona Cardinals will be in play for his services, but the Giants could also make a strong push. They would like to add three (or even four) veteran defensive tackles to provide adequate depth and enough bodies to keep the rotation rested going into the fourth quarter. Even at age 40, Campbell is arguably the best defensive tackle available.

NY Giants draft grades and analysis for 2026 NFL Draft class | The Record

This is a significant NFL Draft for the New York Giants.

See how John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen went about assembling a class that needs to not only help establish a shift in expectations and results, but also do what is needed to change perspective and performance. This is the first draft of the Harbaugh era, and a statement must be made, a tone set for the present and the future of the franchise in the mold of the new head coach who brought with him 180 regular season wins and a Super Bowl ring from Baltimore over 18 years in which the foundation of the team was rarely if ever questioned.

A battle to resume this summer: JC Davis vs Arvell Reese

John Harbaugh’s roster philosophy guides Giants’ NFL Draft in clear direction  | New York Daily News

Some teams pick players in the NFL Draft like they’re throwing darts. The Giants have been one of them under GMs Dave Gettleman and Joe Schoen. But John Harbaugh refreshingly brought a defined roster philosophy to this weekend’s process that guided the Giants in a specific direction toward a clear identity of being a bigger, more physical, more aggressive and in-your-face team.

“It’s definitely a priority, and it’s important,” Harbaugh said Friday after the Giants wrapped up their seven-pick draft class. “The fact that they’re bigger, heavy-handed type guys is important. Especially in this division, you’ve got to play that way.” Especially in the NFC East. “Look at the size of the players they’re drafting,” a league source noted.

If the NFL won’t nudge Steve Tisch aside, Giants ownership must do it | Pro Football Talk

It’s only going to change if the folks with the power over the operation do something about it. The team’s board has six members: Tisch, Tisch’s two siblings, John Mara, Chris Mara, and their sister, Susan McDonnell. It’s three to three.

They’ve created the impression he’s gone, because he technically no longer holds personally an ownership interest in the franchise. They hoped that would end the issue. Maybe it would have, if Tisch hadn’t been in the draft room this weekend. Or if, at a minimum, he had stayed out of view of the camera that had been installed there. As it stands, nothing has really changed. And nothing is going to happen, unless and until ownership feels sufficient internal or external pressure to do it.

Around the league

CBS to broadcast Week 3 game featuring Cowboys vs. Ravens in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 27 | CBSSports.com

Niners GM John Lynch still hopes to trade Brandon Aiyuk following draft: ‘Give us a call’ | NFL.com

John Lynch’s Draft Record: The 49ers’ Costly Pattern | Sharp Football Analysis

Mike McCarthy avoids “hypotheticals” about QB depth chart if Aaron Rodgers returns | Pro Football Talk

Chiefs take QB Garrett Nussmeier in 7th round of NFL draft | ESPN.com

NFL Draft’s 2026 Mr. Irrelevant: Broncos select Buffalo LB Red Murdock with 257th pick | The Athletic

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