Giants NFL Draft 2026: Giants go big in Round 6 — Instant analysis

192 – J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois

The Giants had Davis in for a ‘30’ visit, so this isn’t a surprise here. He’s a big (6-foot-4, 322-pound, 34¼ inch arms) offensive lineman who started every game at left tackle over the last three years. He’s played against some really good pass rushers at Illinois and has held his own, as well as done some good work as a run blocker.

Davis has enough athleticism that he might be able to stay at offensive tackle if he plays with consistent technique, but his frame suggests that a move inside is an option for him as well. The Giants have a ton of bodies for their offensive line right now, and Davis could compete to be a four-position backup. There’s also a question as to what this means for Marcus Mbow at swing tackle.

Mbow played well in relief of Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, however play strength was a notable problem. That, in turn, could make him a question mark in the Man-Gap power schemes that Greg Roman will likely be dreaming up. It’s possible that Davis could take Mbow’s job and the Giants could look at trying Mbow at center.

193 – Jack Kelly, LB, BYU

Okay, can we just pause for a second to recognize that Jack Kelly might have the most “linebacker” name since “Jack Campbell” a couple years ago?

Kelly is a stocky linebacker at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, with 31-inch arms, but he’s a surprisingly good athlete. Kelly turned a 4.57-second 40 with excellent explosive traits — a 1.61-second 10-yard split, 37-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-5 broad jump. It isn’t much of a surprise that Kelly is an excellent blitzer who notched 10 sacks, 13.5 tackles for a loss, and 2 forced fumbles last year. His athleticism also gives him some upside in coverage and Kelly is 21st in coverage stops and 19th in forced incompletions per ProFootballFocus.

Kelly is also a two-time team captain and his traits also give him special teams upside. He’ll need to clean up a bad 22.4 percent missed tackle rate if he’s going to win a job on special teams, but he has a lot more attractive traits than bad.

Kelly has quite a few similarities with Micah McFadden as a slightly undersized but athletic and aggressive off-ball linebacker with significant blitzing upside. McFadden was drafted for Wink Martindale’s blitz-happy Baltimore defense, and Dennard Wilson will likely employ a similar scheme.

McFadden and Kelly could be in direct competition for a job this summer.